What Do I Believe? Who Should I Follow?
by ShidesuHejjihoggu
Summary: Summary is inside. Rated T for child abuse and some language. NEW title! FINALLY COMPLETE! R&R!
1. Chapter 1

Why am I writing another story already? I don't know the answer to that myself. This was an idea that's been in my head for a while. It all started with a conversation between me and HyperShanic01 on Facebook that ended up becoming this. I chose to write something else on Facebook, but the alternative wouldn't leave me alone.

If none of you care about this explanation, that's fine.

Summary: AUish. After becoming a werehog like his brother, Sonic, Shadow got into an accident that turned him into a were_pup_ with no memories of his "past life", causing Sonic to be the one who raises him. Sonic, however has Multiple Personality Disorder/Syndrome that originates with his different forms. Unfortunately, Werehog seems to enjoy making Shadow's life hell…

Important Note, Please Read: Shadow is technically like a 5 year-old human now, but he had to learn how to speak again, so he has his own way of referring to Sonic and other people. Anything misspelled, or words that don't fit, are there because he doesn't know the right way to say them. He calls Sonic "'oni-nii" because, he can't really pronounce "Sonic" right, and he looks up to him like an older brother. :) Also, this is all from Shadow the Werepup's perspective.

"_blah"_- someone from Sonic's mind talking/thought speak

Warning: Child Abuse! Don't like, hit the back button to save yourselves.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except for the fact that I was the one who started this on Facebook.

He didn't know what to do. He wanted to listen to his 'oni-nii and run, but he didn't want Were-san to hit him.

_"Shadow, run! Don't let him hurt you!" _he heard his 'oni-nii's voice inside his head. He wasn't sure how his 'oni-nii was doing that…

"Get OVER HERE before I make you, runt!" Were-san yelled. Things were getting bad.

He knew from last time that things got worse if he ran away, but his fear caused him to take a step back, and before he knew it, he was running away from Were-san.

The furious yell of "RUNT!" soon echoed through the forest. He sped up, wanting…_needing_ to get away from Were-san.

He didn't get very far before being grabbed roughly by the scruff and slammed into a tree. He was in for it now.

He struggled, though he knew it was in vain. He froze when he heard the sound of a branch being snapped off the tree, and he gave Were-san a pleading and fearful look.

"Didn't you learn your lesson last time, runt? You must always listen to me!"

He yelped in pain when he was thrown into the ground and the branch immediately made contact with his small body. This was soon followed by more yelps as Were-san brought the branch down hard all over his body. Soon, he was in too much pain to beg for Were-san to stop.

_"Damn it, werehog! Why are you doing this to him?! He doesn't deserve it!"_ he heard his 'oni-nii shout.

"He needs to learn to listen," Were-san answered, though it sounded more like Were-san was talking to himself.

A small part of him believed Were-san. This wouldn't have happened if he had listened.

The pain was becoming too much, and tears leaked out of his eyes, though he was trying to hold them in.

"Stop that crying! Crying only makes you weak!" Were-san yelled as he bringing the branch down harder, so hard in fact that it caused his skin to break.

He tried really hard to hold the rest of his tears in, but he hurt so much. He wanted the pain to stop.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, the pain stopped. He slowly looked back at Were-san, only to see why he'd stopped. The sun was starting to come up. His 'oni-nii was going to be back. He would be safe, for now.

"Don't think this means your punishment is over, runt," was the last thing Were-san said before he was enveloped in a white light.

Seconds later, he was looking his 'oni-nii, who looked sad. This confused him a little. Why was his 'oni-nii sad?

"'oni-nii? Why do you look sad?" he asked, shakily getting up.

"…I said that I would keep him from hurting you again, but I didn't. I wasn't able to protect you, Shads."

Now it was his turn to look sad. He shook his head, looking at the ground. "My fault…"

He tensed and winced when he felt a hand firmly grab his shoulder, thinking for one wild second that his 'oni-nii was going to beat him like Were-san did, but he relaxed when nothing happened.

He then felt another hand tilting his head up until he was looking right into his 'oni-nii's eyes.

"It. Was. Not. Your. Fault. None of it was your fault, Shadow." He knew his 'oni-nii was trying to make him understand, and he wanted to believe him, but he found that he couldn't.

He looked away for a second, then looked back at his 'oni-nii, uncertain.

After several seconds of silence, his 'oni-nii sighed, let him go, and said, "Come on, let's get back to the Tornado. We gotta get your wounds cleaned," before heading back to the Tornado.

He was a bit scared to follow. He remembered the time he had his paws cleaned after he had bit them too hard. That had hurt. He was also afraid of what Were-san might say when he saw the cleaned injuries.

He was scared, but he knew he had to listen, to stay in his place. That's what Were-san said, so he followed his 'oni-nii back to the plane, though he hurt all over his body. He didn't want Were-san to think he was weak. He didn't want to be weak, even though he doesn't really know what that means.

When they got to the plane, he saw his 'oni-nii hop into it to look for the…what was it? Medacil kit? What it medacil? Or mecidal? He didn't know. He'd have to ask later.

After a few minutes, his 'oni-nii said "Ah, here it is," and then jumped back out of the plane, holding the kit. "Come on over here, Shads, and let's get those taken care of."

He knew what was in that kit. He didn't want the stinging stuff on his wounds again. But he knew he had to listen, so he painfully walked over to his 'oni-nii.

He was gently scooped up and he settled into his 'oni-nii's arms. He soon smelled the stinging stuff, and though he wanted to get away, he knew that staying put would help make it end quicker. It didn't stop him from yelping as it was put onto his wounds. That stuff _hurt_.

"Easy, Shadow. It'll be over soon."

He felt tears in his eyes, and he remembered what Were-san had said to him last night. _'Crying only makes you weak.'_ He tried his hardest to keep the tears in, but he could do nothing about the whimpers that came from his throat.

After what felt like hours to him, the burning stopped, though his back still stung a little.

"Okay, that's done. Now for the easy part," his 'oni-nii said. He relaxed when he heard that.

After a few seconds of nothing, he felt the…bandages? yeah, that sounded right, being wrapped around him, to cover his wounds.

That didn't take very long, and he relaxed even more. Even though the pain was still there, he didn't hurt as much now.

He was so relaxed, he nearly jumped a foot in the air when he had suddenly felt his 'oni-nii petting his head.

"Did I wake you up from dreamland?" his 'oni-nii asked with a small laugh.

Realizing he was being made fun of, he pouted, only to have that turn into a yawn. He was obviously tired from what happened the past couple nights.

"Getting sleepy, Shads? Get some rest. You deserve it."

Since he was tired anyway, it took him seconds to fall asleep.

Some time later…

He woke up to find that he was still in his 'oni-nii's arms, his 'oni-nii had also fallen asleep, and it was still daytime. That was good. He needed to practice controlling his Chaos Energy like Were-san said. But first he needed to get out of his 'oni-nii's arms. He slowly moved, only to have his body start hurting again.

He still tried, though, and after a while, he finally got himself free. He slowly walked a few steps away from his 'oni-nii, then…consecrated on the color yellow. Were-san had said consecrating on yellow would make it easier. But what was yellow? He knew it was a color, but he didn't know what it looked like. He looked up at the sun. Was the sun yellow? He didn't know, but it was worth a try.

He closed his eyes and consecrated on the sun. After a couple seconds, he felt something moving in his body. His Chaos Energy. As he consecrated more on the sun, he felt more of it moving. He tried to consecrate less so he could feel less of it moving, but it didn't work. Not good. What's going on? He felt more and more of his Chaos Energy moving in his body. He felt it building up. This was bad. This was very bad. It was another Chaos Blast. He started getting scared as he remembered what happened the last time he did a Chaos Blast.

He needed to let it go, but he didn't want to hurt his 'oni-nii.

All of a sudden, he felt someone pick him up and hold him close.

He was so surprised, his Chaos Energy went away. He opened his eyes and looked up to see his 'oni-nii looking back at him.

"Having fun trying to blow up the forest, Shadow?"

He shook his head. "Need to practice. He said so. He said I needed to control it."

His 'oni-nii sighed, "Shadow, you can't do everything he tells you to. Stand up to him."

He looked at the ground. "Can't. I tried, and he hit me."

"……Then why not just run before he takes over tonight?"

He tensed and shook his head faster. "He'll find me. Running makes it worse. Running always makes it worse."

His body shook as he tried to keep his tears in again.

"Shadow…it's okay to cry…"

He wanted to believe him; he really did, but Were-san…

"'Crying only makes you weak…'"

His 'oni-nii tilted his head up again and looked right in his eyes. "It doesn't make you weak, Shadow. Everyone cries, even me."

This shocked him "Really? Even you, 'oni-nii?"

His 'oni-nii smiled a bit. "Yeah, even me. Crying isn't a sign of weakness, it's a way to tell someone that you're sad or hurting, so they can try and help you."

Hearing this, he smiled and let a few tears out, which were wiped away by his 'oni-nii.

"See? That wasn't so bad, was it?"

He didn't shake his head, but he didn't nod. He lowered his ears.

"Don't worry, Shadow. I'll fight his taking over tonight while you hide, alright?"

He thought about it, then nodded. "Alright."

"Good, we have a plan. Now we just have to wait…until sunset…oh, boy…"

Okay, first chapter done.

This felt weird to write. I'm a Shadow fan, yet i liked writing this. Is that a good thing?

I hope you guys liked it. It's hard writing in the mindset of a child, so if there are any mistakes, besides spelling because they're supposed to be there, let me know, cause I think I need help with it.

Also, I am in need of a title for this story. Put what you think would be a good title in your reviews, and I'll pick the best one. Winner gets a sneak peek of the next chapter!

Review!

ShidesuHejjihoggu


	2. Chapter 2

First, I would like to give thanks to Hedgehog B. Rebecca and HyperShanic01 for their title suggestions. Though they were the only ones to give suggestions, it still meant a lot to me that they showed their support for this story, and that they were willing to help.

And the winner of the title contest is… Hedgehog B. Rebecca! Congrats!

Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot.

Chapter 2

He must have fallen asleep again, because the next thing he knew, he was being shaken by his 'oni-nii.

"Shadow…go hide! The sun is…already setting, and he's…trying to take over! I'm fighting him…as best as I can…" his 'oni-nii said, sounding like he was hurting.

He didn't need to ask who "he" was, and he was awake right away. He ran towards a tree, but even though his 'oni-nii said to hide, he knew that he had to stay seen. That way, if Were-san did win, there would be no point in hitting him more, 'cause he wasn't trying to run. But even if Were-san didn't win, he still needed to be sure.

He turned around to watch what was going on, and he saw his 'oni-nii holding his head, growling.

"I won't let you win, Werehog! Not if I have a damn thing to say about it!" He had a feeling his 'oni-nii didn't mean to yell, 'cause he heard the whole thing, even if his 'oni-nii was talking to himself…well, to Were-san.

He got scared again. What if Were-san won? He shook his head. That wouldn't happen! His 'oni-nii said that he would fight Were-san's power, and his 'oni-nii never lied! Never!

But when he thought of Were-san, he got even more scared, and he started to wonder who would win. He couldn't help it. If his 'oni-nii won, what Were-san would do the next time he was out? And if Were-san won, would he be mad that he had to fight to win? He whimpered.

He felt the need to run, but he knew that running would make it worse.

"Don't worry, Shadow. I think…I have him beat for now." He heard his 'on-nii's voice at first, though he heard, for a second, Were-san's voice before it went back to his 'oni-nii's kinder voice.

"_I'll get you for this, just you wait runt! You'll be sorry!"_ he heard Were-san yell in his head.

He was so scared when he heard that, he couldn't help crying, even though he tried not to.

He heard his 'oni-nii walking to him, but he was still so scared, he thought it was Were-san, so he tried to wipe his tears away as fast as he could.

Until he felt his 'oni-nii pick him up, hold him close, and nuzzle him. "Shadow…Shadow, shh…it's alright. You're safe, he can't hurt you…"

Was he really safe? It didn't feel like it. He wanted to feel safe. He needed to. He pushed his face into his 'oni-nii's fur, still crying.

He felt and heard something coming from his 'oni-nii's chest. It sounded like a thumping sound. He didn't know what it was, but it sounded nice, and he relaxed. (1)

"You're safe, Shadow. You're safe…"

Safe. He liked that word. It made him feel good, made him feel like he was wanted, but his crying didn't stop.

"'oni-nii…"

"I'm here, pup. I'll always be here." Pup…he liked the way his 'oni-nii said it. It sounded alot better than "runt".

He looked up at his 'oni-nii. "Forever and ever?"

His 'oni-nii smiled and nuzzled him again. "Yeah, forever and ever."

That got his crying to stop, and he nuzzled back.

"Feeling better now, Shads?"

He didn't know if he was, but he still said, "Yeah."

"You sure?"

He didn't say anything this time, and he knew his 'oni-nii would now know that he wasn't really feeling better.

"Shadow, tell me the truth. Are you really feeling better?" there was something in his 'oni-nii's voice that said "I'll know if you're lying, so don't bother trying" (2)

He looked away from his 'oni-nii, then looked back, and said, "I don't know…"

"You don't? Well, I know one way to make you feel better."

Before he could ask what it was, his 'oni-nii started tickling his tummy, which made him laugh.

He heard his 'oni-nii laugh with him as he was tickled.

"Do you feel better now, Shads?" his 'oni-nii asked, stopping the tickling, but he still felt his 'oni-nii's hand on his tummy, so he knew his was going to tickle him more if he didn't say anything.

He smiled at his 'oni-nii. "Yeah."

"Good, 'cause if you didn't, I'd have to tickle you some more," his 'oni-nii said, and he really did tickle his tummy a little bit more, but it he knew it was a small warning, compared to Were-san's…

He heard something come from one of the trees, and he looked at where it came from. He saw a big shape sitting on one of a branch. "What's that?"

"That's an owl, Shadow. They like to come out at night."

"Owel?" he tried to say the new word right.

"Owl. They're these big birds that hunt mice and other small animals," his 'oni-nii said while looking at it too.

Small animals? He was small. Did that mean it would come after him? His ears went back. He didn't want to be eaten.

"I didn't mean you, Shadow. I was talking about animals smaller than you," his 'oni-nii said with a laugh.

"Oh."

"Hey, speaking of hunting, are you hungry?"

He was about to say no, when his tummy rumbled.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'. So, what do you want to eat?"

"Um…" he thought about it for a while, but he didn't know what he wanted.

"Do you want me to decide for you?"

"Please?"

"Okay, how about this? Since you thought the owl was going to eat you, how 'bout you eat it?"

"Um…okay."

"Then it's decided. You're gonna have an owl for dinner." Right after his 'oni-nii said that, he was set down on the ground.

He watched his 'oni-nii go to the tree the owl was sitting in, climb it, and grab the owl. His 'oni-nii didn't let go until he heard a loud cracking sound, and he got the feeling that could've happened with him whenever Were-san grabbed him like that.

His 'oni-nii came back down with the owl, and dropped it in front of him.

"There you go. Be careful not to choke on the feathers."

He didn't hear the last part, because he was already eating.

"Shadow, are you listening to me?"

He looked up when he heard the question. "Eh?"

"I'll say it again. Be careful not to choke on the feathers. Oh, and Shadow?"

"Yeah?"

"You have a feather sticking out of your mouth," his 'oni-nii said, reaching for him, and pulling the feather out.

When he saw the feather, he wanted it back. He tried to grab it, only to have his 'oni-nii hold it farther away from him.

"Shadow, don't grab. If you want something, you have to ask for it. Now, what do you say?"

He didn't want to ask, he just wanted the feather! "Give it!" He tried to grab it again, only to be grabbed himself by his 'oni-nii. "Hey!"

"Wrong way to ask, pup. If you ask nicely this time, then I'll give you the feather."

He pouted and looked away, not wanting to ask at all. Still…he did want the feather.

He looked back at his 'oni-nii. "…Can I have the feather?"

"What do you say?"

"Please?"

"All right," his 'oni-nii said, putting him down before giving him the feather. "Here you go."

He took the feather from his 'oni-nii, then stuck it back in his mouth.

"Don't try to eat it, Shadow, or else I'll take it away again."

"I won't."

"Good. Now, what are you supposed to say when someone gives you something?"

Not this again! He already got the feather! He didn't need to say anything else…did he?

"Come on, Shadow. Say it."

What was he supposed to say? He knew the answer. It was somewhere in his head, but he couldn't remember it. He thought about it, and then it came to him. "…thank you?"

"That wasn't so hard, was it?"

He didn't say anything again; he just sat there with the feather sticking out of his mouth, smiling at his 'oni-nii.

"Shadow, answer me." That made his smile go away. If it was Were-san he didn't answer…he tried to make those thoughts go away. Were-san wasn't here right now. He was safe tonight.

"Shadow?"

He blinked, and looked at his 'oni-nii. "What?"

"You alright, pup? You looked scared for a second."

"I'm okay, 'oni-nii."

"Are you sure? I'll help if something's bothering you."

"I'm okay…" He didn't look at his 'oni-nii when he said it.

"Shadow, why won't you tell me?"

"I don't want him to know…he'll be mad if he knew…" He didn't want Were-san to find out anything.

"He won't know whatever you tell me."

"You fought him last time…he knew I told…" He was getting scared again. What would happen to him if Were-san found out anything else?

"He only found out when I fought him, Shadow. He doesn't hear what I hear, so he won't find out."

Was that true? Were-san wasn't going to find out?

He was still feeling scared, but he looked at his 'oni-nii, and said, "He…he doesn't like it…when I don't answer him…"

"That sounds like Werehog. He's even more impatient than I am, and that's saying something."

That got him to not feel as scared.

"Is that why you looked scared when I told you to answer me?"

He nodded. "Y-yeah…"

"Damn bastard."

He looked confused. What did that mean?

"Never mind what it means, just don't repeat it. Ever."

"I won't." What was so bad about those words? They didn't sound bad, they sounded cool.

"Good."

_T.B.C._

Okay, that's all for the second chapter. I am planning to have the chapters alternate between Shadow being abused, and Shadow spending some more time with Sonic.

(1)- For those who don't know this, young animals are comforted by the sound of their parents', or in Shadow's case, and older sibling's heartbeat. I decided to use this method, because I thought it sounded like a good way for Sonic to calm Shadow down.

(2)- I am aware that this statement rhymed, I didn't mean for that to happen.

What did you guys think? Good? Bad? Makes you want to claw your eyes out? Let me know!

ShidesuHejjihoggu


	3. Chapter 3

So, did everyone like the last chapter? I know at least a couple of you guys did. ^_~

Anyway, since I'm alternating between abuse and comfort, looks like it's time for another chapter with "Were-san".

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters

Chapter 3

He didn't like that he fell asleep again, but he didn't even know how long he was asleep. He had the feeling Were-san would come out tonight, and he knew he needed to practice his Chaos Energy, or else Were-san would be even madder.

"You sure like sleeping, pup; it's almost sunset."

He felt his body tense. It was almost sunset? He was fully awake now. He looked at his 'oni-nii, feeling scared.

"Shadow…look, I'm not sure how to say this, but I don't think I'll be able to fight him off tonight. Usually it's no problem with my other forms, but with Werehog…it takes a lot out of me. I promise, I'll be able to fight him off tomorrow night. Can you stay strong until then? Or at least until morning?"

He was sure he would be able to do that. At least he'd be able to see his 'oni-nii again tomorrow. He nodded.

"Good boy. I'm sure you'll be able to handle it. Don't let him get you down, Shads," his 'oni-nii said, before the sun went down and his 'oni-nii was covered in a dark light. It wasn't long before he was looking at Were-san.

He didn't know how mad Were-san was, but he didn't dare move.

"You miserable little runt! You're going to wish you hadn't let him fight my power!" Were-san yelled, hitting him in the face, knocking him to the ground.

"W…Were-san…"

He saw Were-san smile, but it was a mean looking smile. "So, you're finally learning your place, eh, runt? Too bad you learned it too late!" Were-san hit him again, before grabbing him.

He whimpered, not only because he was scared, but because his body hurt again 'cause of the way Were-san grabbed him.

"Why do you let my pathetic host help you? You're weak, the both of you!"

Were-san tore the bandages off with his claws, giving him more wounds. He tried not to yelp as more pain went through his body.

"'M'not…weak," he tried to say quietly.

"And yet you continue to receive unneeded help."

He did need help. He wanted his 'oni-nii to be out tonight, but he knew he had to wait 'till tomorrow.

"Just you wait, runt. I'll make you see I'm right." Were-san dropped him onto the ground, and with his new wounds, he yelped at the pain.

"Don't move an inch. You do, and I'll make things worse for you."

"I won't move. I swear."

Were-san didn't say anything. When he looked up to see why, he saw Were-san digging. He got really scared as he thought of what Were-san was going to do.

It wasn't until he saw the moon was high in the sky that Were-san jumped out of the hole, and he wondered how deep it was.

"Listen up, runt. Since you like to run away, I've thought of the perfect way to punish you for it," Were-san said before grabbing him again.

He saw that he was being carried to the hole, and when he looked inside it, he couldn't see the bottom.

"You're to stay in there until I say otherwise, got it? I doubt you'll be able to climb out, but I won't take any chances."

All of a sudden, he felt himself falling. He fell and fell, until he hit the bottom of the hole hard.

He looked up, only to see that he could barely see the sky. All around him it was dark.

He was alone.

He was scared.

He was in pain.

He wanted his 'oni-nii to get him out of the hole.

He knew that wouldn't happen until tomorrow.

"'oni-nii…"

He started to cry.

He cried until the he could feel the sun making the ground warm. When it did, he thought his 'oni-nii would get him soon.

But no one came.

Where was his 'oni-nii? He needed his 'oni-nii! He didn't want to be alone!

He did the only thing he could think of.

He howled.

He howled until his throat hurt so much he couldn't howl anymore.

He fell asleep after he stopped howling, hoping his 'oni-nii would come for him while he was asleep.

When he woke up, he saw that he was still in the hole, but he could smell food.

He didn't know where it was, so he moved his hands around, trying to feel it.

He found it, but it was a small piece of meat. And it was cold.

He didn't want to eat it, but he had to. He didn't want to be hungry, so he ate it. It didn't taste good cold.

He wondered how he got the food. It couldn't have been Were-san. If it was his 'oni-nii, he would've been out of the hole.

Something popped into his head. _Food is energy. Energy is life._ (1)

He blinked. Where did that come from? He didn't know where it came from, but he thought it made sense. If he wanted to get out, he needed to live, and if he wanted to live, he needed to eat.

When would he get out? He wanted to climb out, but it was too high, and Were-san said to stay in the hole until he was allowed to come out.

He wanted to get out, he needed to stay in.

He didn't know what to do.

When was Were-san going to let him out?

He didn't want to be in there anymore but he didn't want Were-san to find out.

He waited for someone to find him.

He did try to climb out once, but somehow Were-san found out, hit him with a branch again, then threw him back into the hole.

He didn't know how long he waited, but he got food a few more times, and he found that the hole was getting smaller.

Was he getting bigger? He didn't know. All he knew was that he wouldn't try to run from Were-san anymore.

He wouldn't even run if his 'oni-nii tells him to.

He just wanted to get out of the hole.

He practiced controlling his Chaos Energy while he was in the hole. He was getting better at it.

He could even make it come out of his paws.

Wait! That was it! He could let Were-san or his 'oni-nii know where he is by sending out his Chaos Energy out from the top of the hole! He didn't know if it was a good idea, but he had to try.

He made his Energy flow to his paw, then he aimed at the sky, and let it out.

He watched it go up until he couldn't see it anymore.

How long would he have to wait until someone came?

Finally he'll be able to his 'oni-nii again.

"_Shadow! Where are you? I've been looking for you for weeks! Send out the Chaos Spear again!"_

Chaos Spear? Is that what that was called? Wait, did his 'oni-nii say weeks? Maybe that was why the hole was getting smaller.

He did it again, but he wasn't sure what Were-san would say.

"_Okay, I see where you are. I'm coming, Shadow."_

He waited for his 'oni-nii to come. He could be with his 'oni-nii again!

Suddenly, he felt really scared. Were-san said to stay in the hole until he was allowed out.

"Shadow!"

He looked up when he heard his 'oni-nii.

"'oni-nii!"

"Hang on, Shadow! I'll get you out of there!"

He never thought he would actually say to his 'oni-nii, "No, don't! Please! You can't!"

"Shadow, I'm trying to help you."

"He said to stay in here until he says I can come out."

"Relax, Shadow. Werehog hasn't taken control for 3 weeks. What reason would he have to now?"

"He'll know. He found out last time when I tried to get out."

"Well, you may just have to come back down here whenever he does take control. Damn, this is a deep hole."

He remembered when he first looked up at the sky from down here. It really was deep.

He felt his 'oni-nii pick him up, then climb back out of the hole.

He could tell he and his 'oni-nii were out of the hole, but he couldn't see anything.

"How long were you down there, Shadow? You've gotten bigger."

"Um…since the time before he last took over?"

He didn't expect his 'oni-nii to drop him.

"He left you in there for a month and a half?!"

"Is that how long I was in there?"

"I kept track. I thought somehow had taken you."

"He thought it would keep me from running away."

"Did you even try to get out?"

"Um…"

"…Let me guess. You did and he caught you, right?"

Nod.

"That lousy, good-for-nothing, son of a-…"

"Yes?"

"Never mind. You're too young to even hear it."

"…"

"…I noticed you felt a little light while I was getting you out of there. He didn't give you food?"

"I don't know if it was him. I did get a little bit of food sometimes."

"No worries. I'll get you some decent food."

He smiled. It felt good to be with his 'oni-nii again.

He heard his 'oni-nii leave. He didn't know how long it was before his 'oni-nii came back with some food.

He could smell where it was, so he ran to it, and started eating.

"So, how's it feel to be out of that hole?"

"It feels good."

"Well, you're certainly hungry, pup."

He ate almost all the meat, and started chewing on one of the bones.

"Shadow…I have to know…what did he do when he caught you trying to escape?"

He stopped chewing, but he didn't look at his 'oni-nii.

"He…he hit me with another branch…and when he did…the branch scratched my eyes…"

He turned his head towards the direction his 'oni-nii's voice came from, and he heard his 'oni-nii gasp.

"…I can't see anymore…"

"Oh, pup…" He felt his 'oni-nii hug him. "I'll get him for this. I swear, no matter what it takes, I'll get him for causing you to go blind."

_T.B.C._

How was that, guys? I kinda feel like I overdid it with the hole and making Shadow blind…does anyone else feel the same way?

I decided to combine two chapters. I'm not sure why I did, but oh well.

(1)- This is a quote from the book Touching Spirit Bear. I take no credit for it.

Let me know how I did with this chapter.

ShidesuHejjihoggu


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry for the short delay, I went out of town for the weekend, and forgot to take my laptop with me.

This chapter is just picking up where the last one left off. Werehog will appear later in the chapter.

Chapter 3

He heard someone walking, but he couldn't tell who it was or where they were coming from.

His ears moved around, trying to tell where the sounds were coming from.

Was this person a friend? Or someone who was going to hurt him? He didn't know anymore.

He felt cold inside, and something…animal-like in his mind was saying. _You're useless now. You won't be able to contribute to anything in the pack. You're better off dead._

"Shadow? What's wrong, pup?"

"'oni-nii?"

"I'm here, pup." He felt his 'oni-nii nuzzle him. "What's wrong, Shadow? You looked like you were about to have a panic attack."

He listened for the sounds again, but they were gone. "I heard…someone walking."

"That was me, Shadow. You couldn't tell?"

He shook his head. _Useless…_

"Oh, right. Sorry if I scared you, Shads."

_Better off dead…_

"…'oni-nii? What's pack?"

"Well, you remember that wolf I fought in the cave? Technically, we're like wolves, and we stick together in a family group called a 'pack'. Every member of the pack has to contribute to something, or else the pack falls apart. The whole pack hunts together."

_Can't contribute…_

"What…what happens if someone can't?"

"…To be honest, I'm not sure, Shadow. I think if it's just an minor injury, or if the Alpha Female is about to have pups, then the pack stays at the main den."

"Alpha?"

"Yeah, each pack is led by the Alpha Male and Female. They're dominant over everyone else, and are the only ones allowed to have pups."

"Oh."

"Why did you ask if a member can't contribute? Is that what made you so scared?"

"Yes."

_You're useless…_

"Don't worry about it, Shadow. I'm sure nothing happens if someone in the pack can't see."

"I…heard…something…in my head saying that…"

"What did they say?"

"They said…I-I'm useless now, I c-can't contribute to a-anything in the p-pack…th-that I'm better off d-dead…"

He was crying again. He couldn't help it.

He heard his 'oni-nii growl, and he started to wipe the tears away. "S-sorry…"

"It's not you I'm mad at, pup, so there's no need to be sorry."

_You're better off dead…_

"What am I gonna do? I can't…do anything if I can't see…can't hunt…"

"Shadow, you don't have to worry about that right now. I'll take care of the hunting."

"But…you said that…the whole pack hunts."

"Two doesn't make a pack, Shadow. Not really. Plus, you're still a pup. You shouldn't even hunt until you're older."

_You can't contribute to…the pack…_

"What will happen then? How will I be able to hunt?"

"Like I said, I'll be doing the hunting. Don't worry about this, pup. We'll get through this."

His ears went back. He wanted to believe his 'oni-nii.

He heard his 'oni-nii sigh. "I wish I could keep everything bad from happening to you. I don't know why Werehog hates you."

Were-san hated him? That wasn't true, was it? Were-san just wanted him to stay in his place.

"He…he doesn't…I just…I don't listen. I run away. If I stay in my place, he won't…"

His head hurt. He didn't know what was true.

"Shadow, don't give in to him. Don't let him control you. He shouldn't stop you from being a pup."

"Have to listen…or else I get hit…can't run. Got put in the hole 'cause I ran."

"Shadow, listen." His ears went up when he heard 'listen'. "I told you I would make him pay for making you blind, and for abusing you in the first place, and I will. Understand?"

"Yes."

"Have I ever lied to you before?"

"No.

"Then you know I'm telling the truth when I say that I _will_ get him for this."

He nodded. His head was still hurting, but he didn't know why.

Suddenly, he felt his 'oni-nii tense up. "Shadow, I'm going to put you back in the hole, okay? Werehog's trying to take control, and I'm putting you in here just in case he succeeds. I will fight him, though, with all I've got."

"O-okay…"

He felt his 'oni-nii pick him, and he could tell he was being carried to the hole. "Sorry about this, pup." He felt his 'oni-nii let go, and then he was falling into the hole again.

When he landed at the bottom, it wasn't as hard this time.

He waited for something to happen, but he didn't know what was going on outside.

He felt someone grab him roughly, and he knew it was Were-san. He felt himself being pulled out of the hole again.

"Your luck's changed, runt. I was planning on keeping you there for another 3 months, but I'm feeling…_considerate_. If you even think of running again, I'll make your life hell, got it?"

Nod. "Yes, Were-san."

"Look at me when you answer, runt!"

"S-sorry, W-were-san, but…I c-can't."

He was hit in the face. "Do you need another lesson on listening, runt?!"

"N-no, Were-san. I…I can't see a-anyth-thing…the branch…"

He heard Were-san laugh, but it didn't sound like a happy laugh. "Ah, yes, I remember now. That was you tried to escape."

He was hit in the face again, harder this time.

Then he was dropped onto the ground. He knew he wasn't in the hole, it felt different.

He was hit all over his body, scratched, bitten, and stepped on. He didn't realize how sharp the spiky things on the bottom of Were-san's shoes were.

His paw was stepped on so hard he heard something break. He screamed, and his paw was stepped on again.

"Shut up, runt!"

His other paw was stepped on the same way, and he almost screamed again.

What did he do wrong this time? He didn't know. He couldn't have done anything; he had been in the hole.

He couldn't tell how long it went on. He had no way of knowing.

All he knew was that he was in pain, and he wanted it to stop.

He felt his Chaos Energy go around his body, and then he couldn't feel Were-san hitting him or stepping on him anymore. What happened?

"You damn runt! Take down the barrier!"

Barrier? What's a barrier? Something that keeps him from getting hit? He didn't know if it was good. Were-san sounded really mad.

How was he supposed to make it go away? He didn't even know how he made it.

"Now, runt!"

He lifted his head up a little. He thought of making his Chaos Energy go away. Did it work?

"Hm, impressive, runt. You actually managed to take it down."

"I…pr-practiced."

"I see." He didn't hear anything for a while, then he heard Were-san again. "It's nearly sunrise. I doubt your Chaos Energy will be able to heal your wounds."

"It…can do…that Were-san?

"Are you deaf? I said so the first time!"

"Sorry…" Why was he feeling tired? He thought he heard Were-san say something else, but he didn't know what it was.

He couldn't feel anything. He couldn't hear anything either. Slowly, he started to hurt.

"S…ow…"

Who was that?

"Sh…dow…"

Was it his 'oni-nii? He tried to hear better.

"Shadow…"

The more he heard, the more he hurt. Was hurting good? It meant he was still alive…right?

He felt his eyes open.

"Shadow! Thank Chaos you're alive! I thought I'd lost you!"

He felt that his 'oni-nii was holding him, but when he felt his 'oni-nii move, pain went through his body. He whimpered.

"I've been treating your wounds for most of the day. It wasn't easy, especially since both of your front paws are broken. I'm not too sure if they'll heal right, but I did the best I could."

He remembered what Were-san said about his Chaos Energy healing him. He tried to get his Chaos Energy flowing through his body, but he nothing happened.

"Can you tell me what happened, pup?"

Should he say anything? He didn't want to be afraid anymore.

"…I…I don't…know…what I did wrong…he pulled me out…and he hit me first…then he…he was scratching me…biting…and he…stepped on me…hard…"

"You did nothing wrong, Shadow. I should've fought harder."

"…I was…able to…make him stop…by doing this."

He tried to make his Chaos Energy go around him again. He knew it worked this time, 'cause he couldn't feel his 'oni-nii anymore.

"You made a barrier? That's really impressive, pup."

He started feeling tired again, and his Chaos Energy went away.

"You should rest, pup."

"M'not tired…"

"You'll feel better if you get some sleep. You won't hurt as much."

He could feel his eyes closing.

"'oni-nii…"

"I won't leave, pup. I promise."

His eyes closed, and he knew no more.

He didn't know how long he was asleep.

He opened his eyes, but it wouldn't help.

_Useless…_

He tried to move, but his paws were still hurting.

"Don't try to move, pup. You can make things worse by moving, and then it'll take even longer to heal."

"Sorry…"

"I've tried to heal you with my Chaos Energy, but it didn't work as much as I'd hoped."

"He said it wouldn't…"

"What?"

"He said…that my Chaos Energy wouldn't heal me…"

"I used my own, Shadow. He said that yours wouldn't work, he didn't say anything about mine."

That made sense. A little.

"I'm going to try again, okay Shadow?"

He felt his 'oni-nii's paws touch his own, before feeling his 'oni-nii's Chaos Energy flow into his paws. It felt like his own, but different.

Then, his paws hurt a lot as they healed. It didn't last a long time, but it still hurt.

He heard his 'oni-nii growl. "It's still not doing much. Damn it, why isn't it working like it did before?"

"No good?"

"Not good at all, pup. I guess the best thing we can do is just let them heal on their own."

"How long will it take?"

"A few weeks, give or take. I'm not too sure how long exactly."

He whined. What was he gonna do when Were-san was out again?

"Don't worry, Shads. I have a feeling he was planning on this, making you suffer this much pain for a while. Most likely, he won't take control again until you're healed."

Was that good? He would be safe, but he would be hurting while he was safe.

"Don't worry about it too much. Besides, this means I get to spend more time planning on how I can get rid of Werehog for good."

His ears went up. No more pain? No more fear? "Really?"

"Yes, really. Then we won't have to deal with him anymore."

He smiled. That was good.

_T.B.C._

Okay, that's all for the forth chapter. Again, sorry for the delay, I was rushed when we were packing everything, so that's why I forgot the laptop.

I know Werehog didn't appear for very long, and I apologize for that.

Again, I feeling like I'm going overboard whenever I write the abuse scenes. I AM trying to keep it as non-graphic, and if I can, as non-violent as possible, since this story is from the eyes of a child.

Leave a comment/review please!

ShidesuHejjihoggu


	5. Chapter 5

Ready for another chapter? Of course, that's why you're reading the story, right? Or whatever your reasons are.

One of my reviewers, , requested that I repair Shadow's eyesight in one of the later chapters. Since I, myself, have vision problems, I decided to go through with this request now.

I was listening to Breaking Benjamin's "Evil Angel" when an idea for this chapter popped into my head. You'll have to read to see what it is!

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, just the plot

Chapter 5

He wondered why he kept falling asleep when he didn't need to. He didn't like it.

This time, it was different. This time, he _saw something._ Well, some_one_. But he could still see!

It looked like him, but different. It also looked like his 'oni-nii's day form. It had wings. Black wings. And a ring over his head.

"Who are you?"

"I'm you."

"You're me? But I'm me."

"I'm your past self. That dream you had in the cave? That was one of my – _our_ - memories."

"Why do you have wings? Are you part bird?"

"NO, I AM NOT PART BIRD!"

He flinched. Now he'd done it. He made this person mad, and now he was gonna get hit for it.

"Calm down, I won't hit you. Now, the reason I have wings is because, technically, I'm dead. When we got hit by that laser at the workshop, our body was destroyed. But, since I cannot die, instead, my body, mind, and soul were reborn into you. The only reason I appear now is because your body has suffered a lot of damage."

He didn't understand most of that, but he understood that something had happened to his past self to make his past self become him.

"Why are you here?"

"Until now, I have been dormant - in a deep sleep, but I was aware of everything that has happened to you. I heard that Chaos Energy wouldn't be able to mend your bones, and I think I can help."

"How?"

"By doing this." His past self opened his wings all the way, and they started to glow. His past self walked over to him, and wrapped his wings around him. He felt a calming warmth spread through his body, most of it in his paws and eyes.

"That should do it. I also healed your eyesight. You can see again."

"Really?!" He jumped up and hugged his past self, though he thought he go right through him. "Thank you so much!"

"Alright, alright, I get it. You're thankful that I healed you, so will you please get off?"

"Sorry." He quickly let go of his past self.

"Don't apologize. I think it's time for you to wake up, kid. One more thing, make sure Sonic doesn't blame himself for anything, past or future. That's my job."

He nodded. "Okay."

He woke up, but he didn't open his eyes, thinking that it was all a dream.

"_It wasn't a dream."_

Wait, was that-? He opened his eyes, but shut them right away. Too bright. Wait, bright? He opened his eyes again. He could see! It wasn't a dream!

"_I just said that it wasn't."_

He looked at his 'oni-nii and saw- _saw!_- that he was had also fallen asleep. He really wanted to tell his 'oni-nii that he can see again!

"_I wouldn't wake him if he hasn't been asleep for very long. Oh, and if you want to talk to me, just say it in your thoughts."_

"_Like this?"_

"_Perfect."_

"_Why can't I wake him up?"_

"_The last time I woke him up too soon, we ended up fighting. Actually, it was me versus Werehog, but you get the point."_

He tensed. Were-san? He didn't to get hit again in case Were-san took control again, so he didn't do anything.

Wait, didn't Were-san only take control at night? He was safe until then, right?

"_Normally I would say to stand up him, but I've seen what you've seen, felt what you've felt, etc. Besides, I also know what it's like to be abused. It's hard fighting the ones who've hurt you."_

"_Abuse?"_ He'd heard the word before from his 'oni-nii, but he didn't know what it meant.

"_Abuse is purposely hurting a child or any loved one. The most common type is physical abuse, which is what we have been through. Hitting someone out of anger, or when expectations aren't met, or simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time."_

"_Are there other types?"_

"_You're too young to even be asking this, but since you're going through it, I will explain two of the three other types. The last one I won't explain until you're older."_

"_Okay."_

"_There's emotional abuse, which is basically depriving someone, especially a child, of affection, comfort, and love. These are all things that a child needs, as it gives them self-confidence. Then there is mental abuse. This is one of the harder ones to overcome, as it deals with the mind. Mental abuse is constantly being put down, insulted, and it goes on for so long that you begin to believe everything you're told."_

He didn't know what to say. Or think.

"_You alright, kid?"_

He didn't know if he was okay. He didn't know…

"_You shouldn't have asked, kid, even if you were curious. You weren't ready to hear the other types."_

"…_Sorry."_

"_You apologize too much, you know that?"_

He was gonna say something, when his 'oni-nii started waking up.

He looked at the sky, though it was still too bright, and saw that the sun was going down.

He was worried. Would Were-san take control?

"_I doubt it. Sonic _was_ right when he said that Werehog can't hear what he hears."_

"_I don't want to be afraid anymore…"_

"_I know, but hopefully Sonic can think of a good plan to get rid of him before he can take over. But if he does, I'll heal your wounds when it's over"_

He watched his 'oni-nii being covered in that dark light, but it wasn't as dark. Did that mean Were-san wouldn't take control?

"Shadow?"

Realizing he was looking at the ground, he lifted his head up when he heard his 'oni-nii.

"Shadow! You're healed! How did-"

"_With some help from me."_

He felt a pulling in his mind, and then suddenly, there was his past self. He was see-through, but he was there.

He laughed a little when he saw the look on his 'oni-nii's face.

"_Well, what do you know? The kid can laugh."_

"Sh…Shadow nii-san? H-how-?"

He didn't listen this time as his past self told his 'oni-nii everything. He was watching a butterfly fly around. He started to chase it, when he was pulled back by his 'oni-nii.

"_You know what? You're right, that does get annoying."_

He struggled a little, but he stopped after a while.

"_There is some other good news you ought to know, Sonic. I also managed to heal his eyes."_

He nodded, and looked at his 'oni-nii, smiling.

His 'oni-nii smiled too. "You know something, nii-san? You've really mellowed out."

"_Being in the mind of a child can do that to anyone, even me."_

_T.B.C._

Well, that's all for chapter 5. How do you like Shadow Angel? As I said before, the idea for Shadow Angel was inspired by Breaking Benjamin's "Evil Angel". It seems to fit a little.

If Shadow Angel seemed OOC, that was the point of this chapter. I wanted to show the softer side of Shadow the Hedgehog.

I know there wasn't a lot in this chapter, and I apologize for that.

Review, please!

ShidesuHejjihoggu


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry for the wait, everyone! I had some writer's block, which I'm really starting to hate right now.

Thanks for the reviews! They actually help me get the chapters done faster, mostly because I (usually) update the chapters the same day that I type them up. I think that may be the reason my chapters are getting shorter, though, but oh well.

Since I made you guys wait so long, I'll do my best to make this chapter longer!

Disclaimer: I own the plot only.

Chapter 6

He. Was. So. _Bored!_ There was nothing to do. His 'oni-nii had fallen asleep under a tree, and he didn't know where his past self went.

"_I'm in your mind again, kid. Because I just awakened, I don't have a lot of energy to project myself out of your body for long periods of time."_

"_Oh."_

"_Look, if you're so bored, why not just play a little prank on Sonic? You can think it up, and if he catches you, just say it was my idea."_

"…_Um…is that such a good idea?"_

"_It was a suggestion; you don't _have_ to do it."_

"_I…don't know…"_

"_Like I said, you don't have to do it if you don't want to."_

He looked at his 'oni-nii. Could he really do it? He didn't know.

"_If you plan to prank him, I'll give you a little help on an idea. He hates water."_

Suddenly, he had a really good idea. Grinning, he ran through the forest, looking for any fallen logs. When he had enough, he was able to make a raft with some help from his past self. He dragged the raft to his 'oni-nii, and then somehow put his 'oni-nii onto the raft.

Then, he dragged the raft to a nearby river, and pushed it into the water.

"_Not bad, kid."_

He then climbed into a tree, and followed the raft by jumping from tree to tree.

"_Good thinking. I want to see his reaction when he sees where he is. I just hope he doesn't fall off the raft."_

He followed the raft for some time before he saw his 'oni-nii wake up.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" his 'oni-nii yelled. He could hear his past self laughing, but the yell had startled him, causing him to slip off one of the branches. He grabbed onto it, but it broke, sending both him and it to the ground.

"Shadow!" He felt someone catch him, but he had his eyes closed, so he didn't know who it was.

When he felt that he wasn't falling anymore, and that he was being held, he opened his eyes.

"I got you, pup."

He tensed, not because he thought his 'oni-nii had figured out it was him who put him on the raft, but because his 'oni-nii was also holding the branch. He whimpered and started shaking.

"What's wrong, Shadow?"

He found himself trapped in memories of Were-san hitting him.

"N-no, please…I'm sorry, won't happen again, please no…" he said over and over again.

"Shadow?"

"_Sonic, he's having a flashback!"_

"Crap…Shadow? Shadow, can you hear me, pup? I'm not holding the branch anymore, see?" He barely heard the branch hitting the ground, but he heard it. It still didn't mean he wasn't going to be hit.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Shadow. I would never do anything that would hurt you."

"_Not intentionally, at least."_

"_Not helping!"_

He felt someone nuzzle him and rub his back. It felt nice, but why wasn't he getting hit? He should've gotten hit by now…not that he wanted to get hit.

Slowly, the memories went away as he calmed down. He blinked and saw that he was looking at both his 'oni-nii and his past self.

"You alright now, pup?"

He wasn't, but he nodded anyway.

"_No, you're not."_

"How do you kn-…right. Never mind."

"oni-nii…" He liked it whenever his 'oni-nii comftor…comtorf….calmed him down, especially after Were-san hit him.

He heard his 'oni-nii laughing, and when he looked up, he saw that his past self looked a little mad. He was confused, and a little scared. Why was his past self mad?

"Looks like the tables have turned on you, nii-san. Oh, how the mighty have fallen."

_"Oh, shut up. It's not really me anyway, since I'm RIGHT HERE!"_

"Yeah, yeah…"

He laughed.

"Hey look, we made him laugh again."

"_Way to state the obvious, Sonic…"_

He looked at his 'oni-nii, before smiling a bit and snuggling into his 'oni-nii's fur.

"Why couldn't you do this more often before you became a small child, nii-san?"

"_Because he doesn't know the full extent of what we've been through?"_

"Right…you just didn't want to shatter your reputation. Not that you had a good one…" he heard his 'oni-nii mumble the last few words.

"_I heard that. And you're right about it. Still, it was worth it…"_

"Was it worth everything that happened during the Black Arms invasion?" He looked at his past self, and say that he had a really mad look on his face.

"_Don't talk about that! I don't want to remember what happened during it!"_

"Heh, sorry. I forgot you don't like to talk about your past."

"_Obviously."_

His 'oni-nii and past self must've seen that he was confused about what they were talking about. "Don't worry about it, pup."

This only made him more confused. He wanted to know why. "Why not?"

"_Trust me, kid, you do_ not_ want to know what happened. And I sure as hell don't want to remember it, so don't ask."_

Now he _really_ wanted to know what happened. Why didn't they want to tell him?

He was going to ask his past self, but his past self had already went back into his mind.

"There are some things I will never understand about him…" his 'oni-nii said.

He nodded, thinking the same thing.

"So…mind telling me how I ended up on a raft in the middle of a river?"

Uh-oh. Should he tell? He didn't want to say, but if he did, would he be in trouble? "Um…"

"_Remember what I said? Just blame it on me. Besides, I know Sonic, he won't really do anything."_

"Well?"

What should he say? Should he say that it was his past self, or not?

"Are you gonna tell me, Shadow? 'Cause if you don't…" He saw his 'oni-nii place his hand over his stomach.

"_He wouldn't…"_

"You've got 5 seconds to tell me."

"_Damn, he would."_

"I was bored, 'oni-nii…and you were asleep"

"So you decided to scare the heck out of me?"

"Not really…it wasn't my idea…"

"So you listened to your past self?"

Nod.

"_Now he's going to try to make you feel bad."_

"Was it really a good thing to listen to him? What if I had rolled off the raft?"

"_That was the mistake on my part, not thinking about that, when I really should have."_

He didn't think about that either, and he felt really bad about it. He looked at the ground, his ears lowered, and tears in his eyes.

"'M s'rry, 'oni-nii…"

"I know you are, pup. Just remember how bad you feel now _before_ you think of pulling another potentially dangerous prank like this, alright?"

He nodded again.

"Good."

"_It might stop _you_, kid, but it won't stop _me_. I'll never miss an opportunity to mess with Sonic."_

He noticed that his 'oni-nii was walking, so he looked up to see where they were going, and he tensed. They were going to a tree. Was his 'oni-nii going to hit him with a branch? No, his 'on-nii said he wouldn't hurt him.

"Easy, pup. I just wanted to relax for a while," his 'oni-nii said, leaning on the tree.

"Oh."

"_He's so care-free, it should be illegal."_

He didn't know what that meant, but it sounded funny.

Now what? His 'oni-nii was still holding him, and he wanted to run around!

"_Great, you're becoming as hyper and impatient as Sonic. Just what I needed…well, it's not like it can be avoided."_

He looked around for something to do, and he saw another butterfly. He jumped out of his 'oni-nii's arms and ran after it.

"_Kid, stop! You don't know where this part of the forest leads to!"_

"_Where?"_

"_A place I don't want to go to right now, so _STOP!_"_

He wasn't sure if it was the yell or the fact that he couldn't move anymore, but he stopped.

He watched the butterfly fly away, and he whined. He wanted to keep chasing it!

"_Listen, kid I understand your disappointment, but it would be a bad idea to keep going after it."_

"_Why?"_

"_Well, for one, you would get hurt very badly. Two, Sonic would be worried when he notices you're gone. Three, that place has a lot of bad memories for me."_

"_Oh."_

"_Speaking of Sonic, you should go back to him, kid."_

"…'_kay."_

Now that he could move again, he turned to go back to his 'oni-nii…but he didn't know how to get back!

"_Son of a…you didn't pay attention to your surrounding while you were running?!"_

"_Sorry…"_

"_Either you can get even more lost by searching for him on your own, or you can think of a way to get him over here."_

"_I can get him here."_

He charged up a Chaos Spear in his paw, and fired it into the sky.

"_How did you manage to do that? Before I became you, I couldn't even _feel_ my Chaos Energy, let alone use it."_

"_Practice."_

"_Well, let's just hope Sonic didn't fall asleep again, otherwise you'll be here for a while. Also, don't fire those into the sky. Anyone could see it."_

"'_kay."_

"_Just in case the wrong people come, you'd better hide."_

"_Why?"_

"_If we're near where I think we are, it would be better if they didn't see us. As I said before, bad memories."_

"_Oh."_

He looked around for a place to hide, and saw some bushes. He hid in them, only to get scratched.

"_I guess it's too late to warn you about any thorns that might be here."_

He waited. And waited. And waited. How long he waited, he didn't know.

When was his 'oni-nii gonna get here?

"_It's only been 10 seconds, kid. Even with Sonic's speed, it will take him a while to find you, considering this is a big forest. That is, if he saw the Chaos Spear. If he didn't, well, you're better off sleeping to pass the time."_

"_Don't wanna."_

"_Would you rather be bored out of your mind again?"_

"_No…"_

"_Then sleep."_

"_But…"_

"_Just do it."_

"…'_kay."_

It didn't take him very long to fall asleep. It also wasn't very long, at least he thought it wasn't, before he was being shaken real hard. Why now? He didn't want to wake up yet.

That was until he was hit in the face.

"Get up, runt!"

His eyes opened really fast, and he saw Were-san. A really mad Were-san. Uh-oh. This was bad! Very bad!

"W-Were-san…" He was hit in the face again, hard enough to send him rolling out of the bushes, giving him more scratches 'cause of the thorns. He also felt some of the thorns digging into him.

"Silence! You damn runt, did you think I wouldn't know about your little stunt today?!"

What did…oh. The prank he pulled on his 'oni-nii. But how did Were-san know?

"_Your guess is as good as mine, kid. I'd intervene, but there's really nothing I can do to him, seeing as I'm technically a spirit."_

"'_S'okay."_

"_Good luck, kid. You'll need it."_

"I can tell you're confused. I'll explain how I know. You see, I may not be able to hear what that pathetic fool hears, but since I am a part of him, I can see what happens around him through his eyes whenever I want, and I just so happened to see Sonic on a raft in the middle of a river."

The bad feeling, _"It's called guilt"_, he had earlier came back, and he also felt scared of what Were-san would do.

"Good, you're guilty. And afraid. As you should be. It almost makes me want to be lenient with your punishment. _Almost_."

He was really scared now, and he started shaking. What was Were-san going to do to him? He didn't want to find out, but he knew he shouldn't run, so he closed his eyes.

He didn't know how long it was before he felt something hit his back, hard. He knew it was a branch, but he wasn't sure if it was a good thing he hadn't gotten up, 'cause the blow was so hard it would've knocked him down.

He was hit again, and he whimpered, trying to hold in a yelp. This made him get hit in the face with the branch. He felt something running down his muzzle. He couldn't have been crying, 'cause it was only going down one side. And he would've been getting hit harder. It must be blood.

Again and again, the branch hit him all over his back. He was also hit in the face a few more times.

After who knows how long, it finally stopped. His back hurt a lot, and he could tell he was bleeding, but it was over for now.

"Pull another stunt like that again, and it'll be worse, got it?"

Nod. "Yes, Were-san." Why did his voice sound really quiet? 'Cause he was hurting? Maybe that was it.

"_Actually, no. I can tell you want to fight back, but if you did, there would be a high chance that he would beat you to death, so your instincts tell you to be timid and submissive to ensure your survival."_

"Good. Now, get up."

He wanted to get up, but his back hurt too much. But, he didn't want to get hit anymore, so he tried. Moving made his back hurt more, but he still tried.

"You're pathetic, weakling."

That did it. He felt a lot of anger going through him, most of it being his past self's.

"_Weak?! I'll show him weak!"_

The last thing he remembered before everything went red was jumping up and biting Were-san…

_T.B.C._

Hehe, cliffhanger! Sorry if that pissed you guys off, but be glad this was the longest chapter i've written so far. I still hate writer's block.

One of my anonymous reviewers commented in an earlier chapter that Sonic sometimes act more as a dad to little werepup. This is true. He does, because he's technically raising Shadow. They also wanted a description of the little pup, and I am not sure how to add it in the story, so I will describe him here in the author's notes.

Okay, you all know how Sonic looked like as a werehog? Well, just imagine Shadow as a werehog, and puppy-fy him. There you go.

If anyone wants me to steadily change their relationship to a father/son one, let me know. I do have some requirements for this, and they are:

How I should change the relationship,

More title suggestions, as I will need to change the name of the story,

And if anyone wants, Shadow Angel's reaction.

This IS a poll, and will close after 3 more chapters, so please, faithful readers, review/comment/vote!

ShidesuHejjihoggu


	7. Chapter 7

Okay, up for another chapter? You must be if you're still reading this story! lol Anyway, the results for the poll so far are…

Change it: 1

Indifferent: 1

Don't change it: 0

For those who haven't voted, please do! You still have 2 more chapters to vote before the poll closes! And for the readers who have already voted, while in most polls you can only vote once, here you can keep voting until the poll closes! Just be sure to put your vote in your review!

Again, sorry for the cliffhanger I left! I know it sucks to be left guessing what'll happen, but I can't resist doing that to you guys! XP …I probably shouldn't have said that, because then you might not review…Gomen! (Sorry!)

Disclaimer: I own the story only.

Chapter 7

His eyes opened slowly. What happened? He hurt all over, and he saw that the sun was about to come up.

He smelled blood, but was it his? It must be, if he hurt this much. Why didn't he remember?

"_I managed to take over your body last night. I think it was because we were both angry. You don't remember fighting, because I didn't want you to. I'm…not sure if you would be able to handle it. I will tell you that I did manage to get him a few times…before he became so full of rage, he nearly made us bleed to death. Luckily I managed to heal the worst injuries we had, but it depleted my energy. The less severe wounds will have to heal on their own. For now, I must rest."_

He heard someone behind him. He didn't want to find out who it was, so he ran, but he was pulled back by something around his neck. Then, he heard someone laughing. He tensed. Were-san!

"Did you really think I wasn't going to find another way to keep you from running, runt? Do you know how much time I spent searching for your miserable hide?!"

The thing around his neck tightened. He grabbed it and tried to pull it off, only to get hit in the back with a branch.

"Don't even think of getting that collar off! You won't be able to anyway, it doesn't come off. I made sure of it!"

"_Werehog, you bastard! What's going to happen as he grows?!"_

His 'oni-nii was using thought speak! _"'oni-nii!"_

He was hit again, and the collar tightened more. "Shut up, runt, I can hear you too! Don't worry your pathetic little head off, Sonic, it's supposed to adjust to the size of his neck."

Too tight! He couldn't breathe! He started trying really hard to get it off.

"_GET IT OFF OF HIM!"_

"Once it's on, it can never be removed. That's the way this particular collar works. And, as long as I am in control instead of you, it will continue to work however I see fit."

"_IT'S _CHOKING_ HIM!"_

He felt it loosen when he saw the ground covered in light, and he knew that it was now day, so his 'oni-nii had taken control…hadn't he? He wasn't sure, he was trying to get his breath back.

"Shadow!" He knew it was his 'oni-nii now, and he felt his 'oni-nii hold him close and rub his back. "Try to take deep breaths, pup. Like this."

He felt the breathing, and copied it.

"That's it, pup. Is it getting easier to breathe?"

It was, but he could tell his 'oni-nii was still angry.

"I'll kill him for this…I'LL _KILL_ HIM!"

He'd never heard his 'oni-nii sound so mad before. He almost sounded as mad as Were-san did…does. It was scary.

"He has _no right_ to do this! What gave him the right to think he can do this?!"

"_What's going on? Sonic's ranting woke me up."_

He felt the pulling in his mind, before hearing his 'oni-nii yelling again. "Do you not _see_ what's around his neck?!"

"_What do you- oh, no…How did werehog get it? That's the only one in existence!"_

"You've heard of it?"

"…_GUN wanted it at one point to use on me when they captured me. They never found it, but they were stupid enough to keep discussing it before they cryogenically froze me. From what I remember, it's supposed to bind the wearer to the one who puts it on them. If the wearer tries to go against something they've been told by the user regardless of how much time has passed, it'll tighten, and keep tightening until either the wearer dies, or the user says so."_

"Binding?!"

What did that mean? It didn't sound good from the way his 'oni-nii said it.

"_Yes, binding, but it doesn't fully work if it hasn't been accepted by the wearer, so as long as he doesn't get used to it, he won't have to worry about it tightening enough to kill him."_

"It was choking him earlier!"

"…_Well…there are two ways to remove it, and I don't think you'll like them."_

"Why, what are they?"

"_The first is to remove it like you would tape or a bandage, but it's supposed to be _extremely_ painful. The second…is by decapitation."_

"What?!"

"_I told you, you wouldn't like them."_

He didn't understand most of what was said, but he did know that having the collar wasn't a good thing.

He heard his 'oni-nii sigh. "We'll have to remove it ourselves. Can you make him fall asleep?"

"_I could try. If I can't, you may have to remove it while he's awake."_

He tensed, not liking the thought of being in more pain.

"Did you have to say that now?!"

"_You asked."_

"Just try to make him sleep."

"_Fine. Put him on the ground. If I do it while he's holding onto you, you could fall asleep too."_

He was lowered to the ground, but he didn't want to let go of his 'oni-nii.

"Come on, pup. The sooner you let go, the sooner we can get this over with, and the sooner you can be rid of that collar."

Whine.

"What, you actually _want_ to have that collar on for the rest of your life?"

He looked at the ground. If he got the collar taken off, Were-san might…

"_He's worried."_

"Way to state the obvious."

"_He's worried about what Werehog would do to him if the collar was removed."_

Nod.

"So you're just going to let him control you using an accessory?!"

He tensed. His 'oni-nii was mad at him…why was his 'oni-nii mad?

"_Calm down, Sonic, before your anger makes you do something you'll regret."_

"This coming from the guy who dwells on his horrible past?!"

He felt his past self's anger, and he was getting mad too.

He could tell his past self was about to take over him, he could feel it, but before it could happen, the collar tightened, a lot. It was choking him again, but it was also hurting him. He tried to pull it off.

He started to feel his past self calm down, and the more he did, the more the collar loosened. After a while, it was back to the way it was. He pulled his paws away, and saw a little bit of blood on them. His neck and throat hurt too.

"You see?! This is why he needs to have it removed!"

"_Removing it is risky enough! If we don't do it right, it could kill him!"_ His past self was suddenly full of fear and…shock, like he didn't mean to say that. _"Damn it!"_

_T.B.C._

Um…does that count as another cliffhanger? I hope not. If it is, I didn't mean to leave another one so soon after the last one.

Also, sorry if this seems short compared to the last chapter.

I know the collar sounds like something that could be from Harry Potter, and it also sounds cruel, but for those who hate it, I will be removing it next chapter, so don't worry.

Like I said above, for those who have voted, you're free to vote again! Those who haven't voted, what are you waiting for? VOTE NOW!

Remember, if you want me to change the relationship between Sonic and puppy Shadow to become a father/son one, you MUST:

a) Say how I should change it,

b) Give title suggestions for the story,

c) And (but this is optional) tell me how you want Shadow Angel to react to the change in the relationship.

If you don't want me to change it, just say so.

ShidesuHejjihoggu


	8. Chapter 8

Okay, time for another chapter! The results for the poll are now:

Change it: 2

Indifferent: 1

Don't change it: 0

Oooooookkkkaaaaaaayyyyy…well, looks like you guys want the relationship changed, but this is your last chance to vote, so keep on voting!

Time to respond to my reviews.

: wtf? What is it with you and "kinky"? This is NEVER going to become a romance! Yes, the magical collar technically means that Puppy Shadow became Werehog's "slave" but it'll only fully work whenever Werehog is in control. Oh, and just so you (and the other readers as well) know, the only reason it tightened while Sonic was in control was because if Puppy Shadow had gotten ticked off enough for Shadow Angel to take control of his body, though temporarily, he would have attacked Sonic, which in turn would've meant that he also would've attacked Werehog, so the collar tightened to prevent any harm from coming to him. Oh yeah, your previous idea? I am debating on whether to make it happen once the poll closes next chapter, or the following one.

**SilverLuna77**: Like you said, the story has always been serious, so why is it a surprise that this happened? Werehog's a crazed, sadistic bastard out to make Puppy Shadow's life hell. Though…for some odd reason, even though Shadow is my favorite out of all of the characters, even he can't escape my twisted ideas! XD As for the collar…well, I was going to remove it this chapter, but then an idea struck that required the collar. Don't worry, nothing too bad (that I can think of at the moment) will happen to him, it just has to do with something that'll happen in a future chapter. Oh, and thanks for voting again! I will think over your title suggestions and pick the one that sounds the best!

**HyperShanic01**: Yeah, I know you're indecisive, but can you at least try to vote this time? I'd appreciate it. Unsure of your opinion of the collar? ;) I think I'm becoming as twisted as Werehog. Though, since I'm writing this, it should really be the other way around, but who cares?

Disclaimer: I only own the plot, and two Shadow plushies

Chapter 8

"Wh-what? WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT COULD KILL HIM?!"

"_It's like I said. If we make even the smallest mistake removing it, it would kill him."_

"And you didn't bother saying this sooner?!"

"_I was going to wait until he was asleep to tell you! I didn't want him knowing!"_

He was looking at them as they kept fighting. He didn't like the yelling, 'specially when his 'oni-nii yelled, and it didn't help that they were yelling because of him.

No, not because of him. The collar, that's why they're yelling. Still, he was wearing the collar, so maybe they _were_ yelling because of him.

"IT'S TOO LATE FOR THAT! NOW HE KNOWS!"

When he looked at his 'oni-nii again, he tensed and whimpered. His 'oni-nii's eyes were starting to change color to look like Were-san's! (1)

He felt the need to get away, though he knew he shouldn't. He was afraid. And he knew the collar would tighten if he did.

His past self must have seen it too. _"Sonic, calm down! Your eyes are changing!"_

He saw his 'oni-nii breathing hard, was he trying to calm down? It looked like it. His 'oni-nii's eyes were going back to normal.

His past self sighed. _"The last thing we need is for you to lose your cool. Then again, given my personal experiences, I'm probably not the best person to be saying that."_

"That's an understatement."

He felt his past self getting mad, but he didn't do anything. _"Shut up."_

"Why should I? Besides, you can't make me now that you're a spirit."

"_Exactly. I'm a spirit. I can possess any mortal I want."_

"No, you can only possess pup, seeing as you're connected to him. You can't do anything to me."

"_Oh, can't I?"_ His past self disappeared, before his 'oni-nii stood up and started doing a weird, but really funny dance. (2) He laughed.

After a while, his past self came back. He was still laughing, and he didn't notice the look his 'oni-nii had. "Think that's funny, do ya, pup?" He tried to look like he hadn't done anything at all, but it didn't work, 'cause his 'oni-nii started tickling his stomach.

"_You might want to ease up on that pretty soon, Sonic, before he ends up choking on his breath. He was already laughing hard when you were dancing."_

"Fine, fine." The tickling stopped a few seconds later. It didn't take him as long to get his breath back as it did when the collar tightened earlier.

Once he got his breath back, he looked at his 'oni-nii, and blinked.

"What?"

Blink.

"What?!"

He blinked again, and this made the tickling start again.

While he laughed, he saw that his past self looked sad. He stopped laughing and was confused. Why was…?

"Huh? What is it, pup? Oh…" His 'oni-nii probably saw how sad his past self looked. His 'oni-nii put him down and walked to his past self. "You alright, nii-san?"

"_Sure, I'm fine."_

"You sure?"

"_I said I'm fine!"_

"Sheesh, I was just trying to help."

"_How can you help? I'm now a spirit, and my body's been reduced to a puppy."_

"So much for being mellow…"

"_Just because I mellowed out a bit, doesn't mean I can't go back to the way I was."_

"True enough. So you don't need help from me at all?"

"_I already said I didn't."_

He didn't hear the rest of what they were saying. He was trying to catch a bug. He was about to get it, when it flew high into a tree. Should he climb the tree and go after it? He wanted to, so he did. He was close to the tree, when the collar started to pull him back.

He growled. He wanted to keep going! He tried to, but he was still pulled back.

Suddenly, he felt a lot of pain in his neck and throat, though there was more pain in his head, but he didn't care. He just wanted to keep going.

"_Kid, stop!"_

He turned his head to look at his past self. Why did he say to stop? It wasn't until he had turned to look, that he really started to feel the pain in his heck, throat, and head. He was about to yelp, but he thought the collar would tighten if he did, causing more pain, so he shut his eyes, lifted his paw and bit it. It stopped him from yelping, but all the pain still made him cry. He could also taste blood.

"Shadow, no!" He heard his 'oni-nii run to him before he felt his 'oni-nii grab his wrist. The weird thing was, as his 'oni-nii had gotten closer, the pain went away. He didn't know why that was, but it was enough to make him let go of his paw.

"_Damn, kid, you really did some damage."_

He still had his eyes closed, but he could tell it was bad. It hurt a lot. He could still taste blood, but he could smell it, and feel and hear it dripping to the ground.

"You can heal it, right?"

"_Not if it's self inflicted. I thought you would've wanted me to _not_ heal it so that the pain would keep him from attempting it again."_

"You thought wrong. I would get some supplies from the medical kit at the Tornado, but it's out of bandages. You think we should just leave it uncovered?"

"_To be honest, I'm not sure if he's even got my high immune system. We'll have to treat it in case he doesn't."_

"So what do you suggest we do?"

"_First, you'll have to find some aloe plants. Their leaves are thick and lance-shaped; their flowers are tubular, and can either be red, yellow, or pink, so they shouldn't be a problem to find. Pick as many leaves as you can; we can use the gel inside them as a natural antibacterial. For bandages…I'll think of what we can use."_

"Right. I'm on it."

"_Hurry back before he faints from blood loss."_

"Did you forget I'm the fastest thing alive?"

"_Just go!"_

His 'oni-nii let go of him and ran off. He thought he was going to feel pain again, but it never came.

"_Another one of its powers I forgot to mention. It'll only do that if _you_ try to go more than 30 ft. away from him. If he leaves for somewhere, it won't do anything, because it doesn't think you're trying to escape. Also, the good thing about him leaving is that you can go anywhere, but only until Werehog is in control, and if he calls for you, the collar will pull you towards him no matter where he is."_

"Calls?"

"_All he has to do is send a mental command to the collar, and it'll start pulling."_

"Oh."

"_I've always hated not being in control. This makes me hate it even more."_

He was about to say something, but he heard his 'oni-nii coming back, and opened his eyes.

"Alright, I got the stuff! So how do I get the gel out of the leaves, rip them in half?"

"_Yes, that's the only way to get it out. Once the gel starts to leak out, pour it onto his wound, then rub it in."_

"Have you thought of what we can use for bandages?" His 'oni-nii put the plants down before picking him up. He struggled. He didn't want anything on his wounds, 'cause it would hurt!

"_I was thinking that we could use leaves to cover up the bite, then if we find some vines, we can use those to make sure the leaves don't fall off. We'll have to keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't try to rip them off."_

"Calm down, pup. Yeah, knowing him, he'll try to tear them off. I bet if we go deeper into the forest, we'll find some vines."

"_Then it's settled."_

"Yep."

He struggled more when he saw his 'oni-nii tear the leaf in half. "No! No!"

"Shadow, calm down. The gel won't cause any more pain; it'll get rid of it."

"_He's right, kid. It gets rid of the pain, and it'll clean your wound the same way rubbing alcohol does."_

The stinging stuff? He really didn't want that stuff from the leaf on his wound now! He tried to get away really hard, even though the collar was tightening.

"Did you have to mention the rubbing alcohol?!"

"_I should've remembered he hates it. Too late now. Sorry, kid."_

He was able to get to the ground, but then his 'oni-nii grabbed his wrist tightly. "CALM DOWN!"

He flinched and stopped moving. His 'oni-nii yelled at him. Yelling meant he was going to get hit. He was afraid, and he started shaking.

"_Damn it, Sonic! You aren't supposed to yell at an abused child!"_

"I KNOW THAT!"

"_Then stop yelling!"_

He had been looking at his 'oni-nii the whole time, and had been shaking even more when his 'oni-nii's eyes started to change color again.

Whimper.

His 'oni-nii looked at him, and started to calm down. "Pup, listen…I didn't mean to yell like that. It's just…I noticed that the collar was tightening while you were trying to get away, so I…I had to think of a way to get you to stop."

"_You know, I can tell you're-"_

"I'm telling the truth." His 'oni-nii looked at his past self, and looked like he was saying something, but he didn't hear anything.

"_Fine, I believe you."_

He wasn't shaking as much, but he still thought he was going to be hit.

"I won't hurt you, pup. I'd never hurt you. I promise."

He knew his 'oni-nii never broke a promise, so he calmed down, and the collar loosened.

"_Well, that's one crisis avoided. Maybe two."_

"That's true. Now, come on over here, pup. The sooner we get that wound treated, the better."

He looked at his paw. It was still hurting and dripping blood. He knew he should, but the stuff would only make his wound hurt more. Wouldn't it?

"I already told you it wouldn't hurt you more, pup."

His ears lowered. His 'oni-nii sounded so sure, but…would it really _not_ hurt?

"Why don't I just put a little bit on your wound? Would that help?"

He wasn't sure if it would. Wouldn't a little bit hurt too?

"_Remind me to join you when you finally follow with your plan to get rid of Werehog for good. He's already gotten the kid uncertain of whenever he's in a situation that could cause him pain."_

"Yeah, I noticed. Come on, pup, the longer you wait, the closer it gets to sunset. Though, since I hadn't been prepared on _when_ exactly Werehog would take over, that's how he was in control the past few nights. Tonight, I'll be ready. Tonight, I'll fight him."

"_Nice speech. It was really moving"_

"Ignoring."

"_Ignore all you want, I consider sarcasm one of my talents."_

"I know."

He still didn't know if he should go to his 'oni-nii. Should he? Or not? If he got his paw fixed, what would Were-san do to him? Were-san didn't like it when he got wounds fixed.

Suddenly, he started to get sleepy. He felt something wrapped around him, and saw it was his past self's wings.

"What are you doing to him?"

"_I figured this was the only way to get him to cooperate with you putting the aloe gel on his wound. He should be asleep in a few minutes."_

His eyes closed, but he wasn't fully asleep. He had the feeling his 'oni-nii and his past self were going to talk about something.

"_That was quicker than I expected. So, why did you say that your yelling was because you needed a way to get him to stop?"_

"…I didn't want to become more terrified…if he knew that Werehog is getting stronger, and harder to fight."

He tried not to tense. Were-san was getting stronger against his 'oni-nii?

"_What? How is he getting stronger?"_

"That's what I'm trying to figure out. I think it he wants to be able to control pup whenever he wants. It may also be why my eyes have been changing today. It's only a matter of time before I lash out the way he does."

"_It won't happen. I know it. You'll find a way to keep that from happening. One that doesn't involve abandoning the kid here in the forest."_

"Who said I was going to abandon him? I wouldn't do that if my life depended on it."

"_You wouldn't, but Werehog might if he thought the kid needed to learn how to survive in the forest by himself."_

He was still trying not to tense. If he tensed, they would know he was still awake, even though he was slowly starting to fall asleep.

He never did hear the rest of what they were saying.

_T.B.C._

Not the best place to end a chapter, but at least it wasn't (in my opinion) another cliffhanger.

As I said above, I was going to get rid of the collar, but then I had an idea that needed the collar, so I decided not to remove it. Sorry collar haters.

(1)- You know how on the cover of "Sonic Unleashed" Sonic's eye colors are the same as both hedgehog and werehog? Well, in my mind, this is the same, but "Were-san" has glowing yellow eyes.

(2)- For those familiar with "Naruto", he's doing that dance Jiraiya does whenever he introduces himself. I laughed at the mental image.

So, how was it? Good? Bad? Leave a review/comment! Oh, yeah. THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO VOTE ON MY POLL!

ShidesuHejjihoggu


	9. Chapter 9

Sorry for the delay, I had a bit of writer's block with how I wanted to end the chapter.

The poll is officially closed!

The results are:

Change it: 2

Indifferent: 1

Don't change it: 1

:D Looks like the relationship will change! Thanks to the few people who voted! I still need to pick the new title of the story, so it may be one or two more chapters before that happens. Though, since the relationship will slowly change, it doesn't really matter right now.

: I know you're not that evil, I just like to mess with you. Though, you saying "kinky" did get on my nerves… How was it a cliffhanger? Puppy Shadow fell asleep before he could hear the rest of the conversation.

**SilverLuna77**: Sonic's yelling because he feels angry at Werehog, and helpless about not being able to prevent Shadow from being abused. You'd be surprised about Sonic. Have you seen Sonic X episode 67? And it's not really him that Shadow's afraid of; it's just natural to react like that to anyone after what he's going through. Werehog taking over forever…I'm not sure if I should actually have that happen or not.

**Wolf'sBreath92**: Thanks! Glad you like it!

**Neji Hyuga720**: You're not the first person to say "poor shadow" and I doubt you'll be the last ;)

**HyperShanic01**: Gomen, but you lose! The relationship will change. You said yourself at one point (while we were in class) that Sonic would make a good dad, so why did you vote "don't change it"? Oh, well. I haven't watched 'Night of the Werehog' since you showed it to me. I think they were brighter 'cause of the moonlight. What? Didn't you like the dance?

Warning: Slight killing of humans in this chapter, but it's not too descriptive.

Disclaimer: If I owned anything to do with them, Shadow would've been in "Sonic Unleashed".

Chapter 9

He woke up when he heard his 'oni-nii scream. Blinking, he saw his 'oni-nii holding his head. Was his 'oni-nii fighting Were-san? Looking at the sky, he saw that the sun was going down.

"I won't…let you win…Werehog!"

The dark light covered his 'oni-nii, but some of the bright light was there too. What was going to happen?

When - was it his 'oni-nii? Or Were-san? He didn't know. – opened his eyes, he saw the color of his 'oni-nii's eyes in one eye…but only a little. The rest, and the other eye, was the color of Were-san's eyes.

He got up, but whimpered when pain went through his paw. The one he'd bitten.

"Pathetic. Can't handle a little pain, runt?"

He tensed. "W-Were-s-san?"

"Did you honestly think I would _lose_ to a pathetic weakling like Sonic?"

"_I'm not weak, you bastard!"_

What should he say?

Before he could think of what to say, he was hit in the face hard enough to knock him to the ground. "Answer me, runt!"

He didn't know what to say. He reached up to rub his hurting muzzle, only to be hit again. "You're trying my patience, runt! Answer me!"

"_Shadow…"_

He looked into the eye that had the little color of his 'oni-nii's eyes. When he heard Were-san growl, he looked away, but it didn't stop Were-san from grabbing him by the throat.

He struggled, 'cause Were-san was choking him, but both the collar, and Were-san's grip tightened.

"_LET GO OF HIM, DAMN IT!"_

"Why should I? If you care so much, just try and stop me."

"_Glad to."_

All of a sudden, Were-san dropped him, snarling and holding his head the way his 'oni-nii did. After making sure not to land on his hurt paw, and getting his breath back, he watched the eyes change color.

He thought his 'oni-nii was going to win, seeing the eyes stay the color of his 'oni-nii's, but then they changed back to Were-san's. This time, there wasn't any color from his 'oni-nii's eyes.

He looked at the ground. He really thought his 'oni-nii would win.

"Disappointed, runt?"

Not sure what to say, he only nodded.

"Get used to it. Now, let's focus on something else, shall we? Your earlier attempt to run."

"I-I w-wasn't-"

He didn't get to finish because he got hit in the face again. "Don't lie to me, runt! You were trying to escape!"

Why didn't Were-san believe him?! "I wasn't! Honest!"

He was grabbed by the throat and being choked again. "Watch your tone with _me_, runt!"

He tried to pull Were-san's paw away, but it didn't work. It was getting hard to breathe! He felt his Chaos Energy building up. No, not now! But it was too late, he needed to release it.

The collar tightened, and he was thrown into a tree. "Don't even think about it, runt!"

After hitting the tree, he fell to the ground. He yelped when he landed on his hurt paw, then tried to get his breath back.

When he heard Were-san coming towards him, he tensed and got up, not standing on his hurt paw.

"Were-san, please…I-I wasn't tryin' to run."

"Enough lies! I know you were trying to run! The collar, when I'm not in control, punishes you for me if you try to escape!"

"Wasn't tryin' to. I was chasing a bug, trying to catch it."

"You mean like this?"

Were-san snarled and leapt at him, stopping right in front of him, fangs bared inches from his face. He fell back, and Were-san laughed. "Scared, runt?"

He didn't want Were-san to know, but he was. "N-No." The collar tightened more.

He was grabbed by the throat and thrown into a tree again. "You're a fool, runt, to keep lying to me."

Looking at the ground, his ears lowered. Why did he keep making Were-san mad?

He waited for Were-san to start punishi- no, no, _beating_ him. _Abusing_ him. Nothing happened.

He looked up, and saw that…Were-san was gone!

Blink.

Were-san left?

Blink.

Were-san left.

Eyes widen.

Were-san _left_!

He started feeling happy, but it went away.

He was alone.

Alone like he was in the hole. He didn't want to be alone again!

He whimpered. He thought of looking for Were-san, but then Were-san might get mad at him for leaving. And, he remembered his past self said that the collar would keep him from leaving until Were-san called.

He had to stay.

He wanted to go.

What should he do? If he howled, Were-san would…

"_Kid?"_

He jumped. He nearly forgot about his past self.

"_Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. I've been resting the whole time. Putting you to sleep took a lot of my energy."_

"_Oh._

"_So, from what I've felt, nothing too bad has happened to you yet, right?"_

"_Right…"_

"_Okay, this is something I don't understand. He's making your life hell, yet you want to go after him? He certainly doesn't treat you the way Sonic does."_

Why did he want to go after Were-san? Because he didn't want to be alone?

"_He…he may not be like 'oni-nii…but he's still…part of 'oni-nii."_

"_So, it's because of the connection that you want to go after him? So that, in a sense, you'd be with Sonic?"_

"_Uh-huh…"_

"_Out of all the reasons I've heard in my life, that is by far the worst! I know the collar won't allow it, but…you should still fight back. If it means getting abused more, then that's another reason you should fight back! If you fight enough, he'll stop once he sees you're determined enough to stand up to him. Or it could become much worse."_

He tensed. Worse? He didn't want that to happen, but…if he fought, would…would Were-san stop thinking he was weak?

He didn't get to say anything, because the collar started pulling. Was Were-san calling?

"_You'd better hurry up and go, kid. Wait too long, and you'll feel the same pain you felt earlier."_

Since his paw was still hurt, it was hard going where the collar was pulling him, 'specially since it sometimes pulled hard enough to make him fall to the ground.

When he got to Were-san, he saw that now they were near a city.

"_Westopolis again, huh? I'm surprised they managed to rebuild it after the invasion."_

"You would recognize the city, wouldn't you?"

Even his past self was surprised. How did Were-san know?

"Confused? I've known about the old Shadow for some time."

"What are we doing here, Were-san?"

"It's time you learned the dark side of life."

"_Tch, you're already learning that from him, kid."_

"Why?"

He was hit in the face again, in the same place as the other times. His muzzle was still hurting a lot, and this made it worse. "Don't question me, runt! Just do it!"

"But…the collar…" He tugged on it, only to have it tighten a little.

"Are you deaf? I gave you permission to go! You can go into the city without me being near!" (A/N: I mean no offense to anyone who is deaf)

"S-Sorry. W-What do I-I h-have to d-do?"

"_If I know Werehog, you probably won't like the idea of it."_

"All you have to do is be seen by them. You must stay there until sunrise without getting injured, or else I'll make any injuries you receive seem painless."

"_Looks like I was right."_

He didn't say anything. He couldn't.

Were-san growled. "Do you enjoy pissing me off, runt?"

He shook his head.

Were-san picked him up by the scruff, "Then GO!" and threw him towards the city.

He didn't land in the city, but it was close. When he landed, he fell on his hurt paw, and he also heard a cracking sound. He almost screamed.

"_Even I felt the bone crack…Damn, I still don't have enough energy to project myself in order to heal you. Sorry, kid."_

It hurt to move his wrist, but he still got up. It really hurt as he walked to the city. When he was about to enter, he stopped, suddenly feeling afraid.

"_You know…he said we had to let them see us, but he never said we had to be in the center of the city. Stay at the outskirts. It'll be easier to get out of the city at sunrise."_

"_Outskirts?"_

"_The entrance of the city. Where we are now."_

He went a little more into the city, still feeling afraid. The humans, at first, didn't notice him, but when they did, they looked like they…_hated_ him.

He stopped and whimpered. Why were they looking at him like that?

"_After the invasion…well, they thought I was on the bad side, so even though I saved everyone…there are some who still resent me. It doesn't bother me, though. I'm used to it."_

He heard a weird click, and looked at what made it. He really shouldn't have.

_BANG!_

He screamed and dodged the thing that came towards him. He wasn't sure why, but he was…afraid and angry. He felt his Chaos Energy building, then saw it swirling.

"_make them pay, must make them pay…must make them suffer…must kill…get revenge…make them suffer…"_

Growling…he was growling. He knew he couldn't win…but he wanted to…kill.

He let go of his control over his Chaos Energy, and it went for the humans.

He couldn't do much 'cause of his paw, but he still leapt at some of them, going for their throats.

There was blood. A lot of blood. After a while, though, he got really tired. It was then…that he noticed the rest of the humans…still alive. He couldn't get up. They were coming closer!

"_Kid, move! Before they-"_

What they would do, he wouldn't find out. He was grabbed by the scruff and pulled away. He thought it was Were-san, 'cause it was still night, but…didn't Were-san say he had to stay?

"Shadow."

"'oni-nii…?"

"_Sonic? How did you regain control?"_

"When I heard the gunshot…I knew what Werehog did. I fought him like crazy. When I got to the city, I saw everything that happened."

"_I thought you usually aren't aware of everything that goes on while Werehog is in control."_

"Yeah, well, he 'let me' see what was going on, but when he did, you two were most likely already in Westopolis."

"_That isn't like him…"_

"I'm just glad I got there before anything else could happen."

"_So am I…"_

His 'oni-nii stopped and sat down. "I've got to clean the blood off you, pup. There isn't any water nearby, so I'm gonna have to groom you myself."

He was still tired, but he squirmed. He didn't want a bath.

"…_If there isn't any water, then wouldn't it be a good idea to look for some?"_

"By then, the blood would be dry, and it's easier to get blood off while it's still fresh."

"_And? Sonic, you know he'll protest against a bath. Some kids are like that."_

"He's already protesting. And this is the easier way. I'm actually glad it's still nighttime, otherwise I _would_ have to find water."

His 'oni-nii was still holding him, so he couldn't try to get away. "'oni-nii, d-don't w-want a b-bath…"

"Would you rather go around covered in blood?"

He shook his head.

"I thought so."

His 'oni-nii held him with one arm, and started licking the blood off. He still wanted to get away, but his wrist still hurt.

It wasn't too long before his 'oni-nii stopped licking. "There, pup, it's over. The blood's gone." His 'oni-nii put him on the ground.

"_Sonic, you might want to take a look at his wrist."_

"Why, what happened?"

"_We…didn't exactly walk to Westopolis. Werehog threw us towards the city. I felt the bone break. Since it's the same hand he bit, you wouldn't have really noticed if he was walking."_

"I don't have a lot of experience with broken bones, but I'm guessing that I'll need to stabilize it?"

"_Yeah. I don't think we'll be able to, though, seeing as the kid freaks out whenever someone holds a branch. The thing is, if it isn't stabilized, it won't heal properly, which may cause a permanent limp."_

"Can't you heal it?"

"_Hm…I think I have enough energy to project myself and heal it, but…then I'll have to rest for a couple nights."_

"Well…in case things become worse, you will need all your energy…"

"_Yeah, but if Werehog sees the broken wrist, he'll think it came from being in Westopolis."_

"Is that a bad thing?"

"…W-Were-san…s-said that i-if I-I get h-hurt…w-while th-there, h-he'll…"

"_He'll make the wounds he gets seem painless."_

He nodded, and tried not to rub the side of his muzzle that was still hurting.

"What are you going to do? Get your rest for a couple nights, or have pup suffer a lot more than he is now?"

"_This isn't an easy choice…but if we manage to convince Werehog that the broken wrist really did come from him throwing us, he won't do anything."_

"Will that work?"

"_It's the only plan I have right now."_

"That's reassuring…I'm going to go take a walk. I'll be back." His 'oni-nii got up and walked away.

"_Hey, kid. I know you felt guilty about it last time, but how about we play another prank on Sonic. We'll just make it look like we wanted to prank Werehog for what happened in Westopolis, but forgot that he wasn't in control."_

"…H-How are w-we gonna do th-that w-with…?" He tugged the collar again.

"_Well, I doubt it'll prevent us from Chaos Controlling somewhere, and since you can use Chaos Spear, let's see if you can use Chaos Control. Just wish or imagine yourself somewhere and let your Chaos Energy flow through your body. I'm not too sure how many times you can use it, though, so don't overdo it."_

He let his Chaos Energy flow, and closed his eyes. He saw himself back in the city. He felt his Energy build up before it went back down. Did it work? He opened his eyes, and saw that he was back in the city, with the dead humans. He looked around to see if anymore humans were there, but he didn't see anyone.

"_What are you planning?"_

"I d-dunno y-yet…"

"_Kid, why are you stuttering so much? Sonic's in control right now. Oh…you think that Werehog could take back control at any moment, huh? And you're worried about how Sonic will react to the prank."_

"Y-Yeah."

"_Don't worry, kid. Sonic has a good heart. He won't let Werehog take control back so easily, and he won't react badly to the prank, as long as it's harmless or doesn't put you in danger."_

Suddenly, he got the idea for the prank. As fast as he could with his hurt paw and wrist, he got the dead humans in a pile. He then used Chaos Control to take them to the forest, and hid them in the trees.

"_I see what you're planning. You're going to scare Sonic with the corpses, aren't you?"_

Nod.

"_You can use vines to hang them from the branches, would that help?"_

Nod.

"_Then head deeper into the forest. You'll find plenty of vines."_

He used Chaos Control to go deeper in the forest. Wow. There were a _lot_ of vines. Grabbing them with his good paw, he got enough to hold the 5 bodies.

Going back to the dead humans made him really tired, but, with some helpful words from his past self, he tied the vines to the humans using his paw and fangs, and then to himself.

"_Remember, when he comes by, pretend to be spooked by something and fall out of the tree."_

"O-Okay"

It wasn't long before his 'oni-nii came back. "Shadow? Where are you, pup?"

When his 'oni-nii was under the tree, he screamed like he had done in the city, and fell out of the tree.

"Shadow!"

He saw his 'oni-nii run towards him, then jump at him before catching him. "I gotcha."

Since the vines were a dark color, they wouldn't be see, 'cause it was still night. When they landed, the vines pulled the humans out of the branches, headed towards them. His 'oni-nii put him down and was hit by the dead humans. He bit the vines off himself, and both his 'oni-nii and the bodies fell to the ground.

"Wait a minute…VINES?!"

He couldn't help it. He laughed.

He kept laughing…until he saw his 'oni-nii's eyes start to change color.

"SHAAAADDDOOOOOWWWWW!!!"

_T.B.C._

Fear the cliffhanger! I. Am. So. Evil. And proud of it! Sure, I may have gone a little overboard with the prank, and with what happened in Westopolis, but it was crucial for the rest of the story.

I was going to put in a couple of flashbacks, but decided against it.

And, yes, I haven't really started to change the relationship yet, but it will start soon.

Can anyone guess what's going to happen to the little werepup? Correct guess gets a plate of cookies. And cheesecake. Mm…cheesecake…

Leave a comment/review! If anyone gives me a flame, it will be ignored and/or used to burn GUN to the ground. I hate GUN.

ShidesuHejjihoggu


	10. Chapter 10

Well, here's another chapter! I was going to write chapter 9 for "Family", but I couldn't think of what to write, so I went ahead and wrote this chapter.

**GenesisBlazingShadow**: As I said, since the events at the end of last chapter, and what happens in this one were your idea, you get cookies and cheesecake! Glad you liked the improvement.

**Wolf'sBreath92**: I know I'm evil! lol. Your guess was close! *hands out plate of cookies!*

**SilverLuna77**: I'll give him a break eventually. Werehog's a cruel, cruel bastard, isn't he? That's why the story's becoming more gruesome. I'll try to tone it down a bit, though. Hey, good idea, lol. Shadow Pup is a kid, what do you expect him to do? Ignore his former self? Well that could work…but then Shadow Angel won't appear as often.

**Important Note**: What happens at the beginning of this chapter was an idea given to me by **GenesisBlazingShadow** as well as the prank at the end of last chapter. Credit goes to him. Also, this chapter is written in normal 3rd person POV instead of in werepup's perspective.

Warnings: Harsh corporal punishment (spanking) of a small child. If you don't like it, I will tell you when it starts, and when it ends so you can skip the scene.

Disclaimer: I only own the story. Spanking idea is courtesy of **GenesisBlazingShadow**. I'm just the sadist who went along with it. Just another way of showing just how evil I am.

Chapter 10

Shadow had become frozen in fear when he heard the pure rage in Sonic's voice. All over a prank. He saw that Sonic's didn't completely change color, so that was enough proof to convince him that it was still Sonic.

Sonic, on the other hand, did his best to keep Werehog from taking over again, despite his rage. He would take care of this himself. After moving the corpses out of the way, he grabbed a branch from the tree he was under, and he tore off the twigs.

Before Shadow had a chance to react, he was hauled over Sonic's lap. Already, tears of fear were cascading down his face, and he was shaking slightly.

**(Spanking alert! Spanking alert! Skip if it offends until you see the next bold message!)**

Without a word, Sonic raised the switch high over his head, and brought down hard on the little pup's rump, causing Shadow to yelp.

_SWAT! SWAT! SWAT! SWAT! SWAT!_

_SWAT! SWAT! SWAT! SWAT! SWAT!_

The first 10 swats had Shadow struggling to get away and crying harder, but Sonic firmly help him in place.

"'o-oni-n-nii s-s-stop!"

Sonic simply ignored the pleas.

_SWAT! SWAT! SWAT! SWAT! SWAT!_

_SWAT! SWAT! SWAT! SWAT! SWAT!_

By now, the little pup was full-out crying, both in pain, and because he felt betrayed. He couldn't even speak anymore due to the burning pain in his rump.

He tried everything he could think of to try and get way, but Sonic prevented that.

_SWAT! SWAT! SWAT! SWAT! SWAT!_

Shadow tried to reach back to stop the blows, but Sonic pinned his arms to his back, and started swatting harder. This only caused Shadow to struggle more to avoid the pain.

Shadow's pleas were useless, and even though he had dark fur to cover any bruises, and most of the welts, there was no doubt he would be feeling the pain for a long time.

Sonic continued to batter the poor pup's little bottom, and it seemed like he wouldn't stop, until a single choked, barely audible word from said pup made him stop right before the 55th swat…

"D…Daddy…" That was the only thing Shadow could think of to get Sonic to stop.

Sonic froze and barely felt the switch fall out of his hand.

**(Spanking scene is over! Spanking scene is over!)**

When Shadow felt the blows stop, he briefly wondered if it was just going to start again in a few seconds. But then he heard the switch hit the ground.

"Chaos…_Chaos_, what have I done?!" Sonic cried out in horror.

Shadow looked at him; his tears were still flowing, and his rump felt like it was on fire.

Sonic cringed at the look of pain and fear in the little pup's eyes. "Shadow, I…" Sonic couldn't bring himself to finish his sentence, guilt ripping his heart into pieces. He tried to pick up the abused-way-more-times-than-he-liked pup, but Shadow flinched so violently he fell off of Sonic's lap. The impact with the ground had caused more pain in the pup's rump, making him yelp, and sending more tears down his face.

Feeling even guiltier, Sonic tried again, this time succeeding in picking him up, and hugged him, rubbing small comforting circles on his back. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

Eventually, the little pup was calm enough to speak, but Shadow only shook his head. "I-I'm s-sorry. I-I sh-shouldn't ha-have d-done th-the p-pr-prank," he replied, his voice thick with tears.

"It…It's okay, pup. I don't blame you…You were just trying to get back at Werehog, weren't you? For what happened in the city?" Sonic asked. He knew this was the right reason. Even though Shadow had tensed at the sound of Werehog's name, he nodded.

The little pup sniffled. "I-I'm s-sorry…"

"For what? You didn't do anything wrong," Sonic reassured, guilt still tearing at him.

Shadow still didn't look convinced. In fact, he still looked extremely apologetic and fearful.

"Shadow, listen to me. You did nothing wrong. What I did…was an accident. I didn't intend to react the way I did. I'm sorry I broke my promise to you." That was the one of the things that Sonic hated about what happened. He'd broken a promise, something he'd never done before. Promises were important to him. Breaking a promise meant breaking someone's trust.

Sonic didn't get any response, though he did feel the little pup's tears falling, so he changed the subject. "Shadow…what you said earlier, to get me to stop…did you mean to call me that?" That was one thing he wanted to know.

"…I-I d-don't kn-know…"

"Why not, pup? You don't feel comfortable calling me that?"

"I-I d-don't kn-know," Shadow repeated.

"Listen Shadow, I'll always be your brother, even if you start to think of me as your dad, alright?" Sonic tried to sound comforting, but on the inside, he felt conflicted, mostly because he didn't want Werehog to take advantage of this new information.

"O-Okay…"

Sonic tilted Shadow's head so that he was looking at him. "No matter what happens, I'll always be your brother. We'll get through everything together."

For the first time since this all started, a spark of hope fully shone in the pup's eyes.

Upon seeing that spark of hope, Sonic could feel his protective instincts grow stronger. They'd always been strong, due to the fact that he was a world-renowned hero, and they had steadily gotten stronger since he first found out that Shadow was being abused at night by Werehog, but now he was going to do everything he could to keep the abuse from continuing, even if it cost him his life and/or sanity.

Sonic kept rubbing circles on Shadow's back for a few more minutes until he stopped, but when he let his arm fall to the side, it accidentally brushed over the pup's poor abused butt, causing him to cry out in pain and jerk away from the, though it had been very brief, contact.

"Sorry, pup! I didn't mean for that to happen." Sonic knew that he hadn't realized what he was doing in his state of fury, but if he had done too much damage, it would kill him.

"H-Hurts, 'o-oni…" Shadow whimpered.

Sonic felt like he had been punched in the gut. Just "'oni"? Had Shadow already lost so much trust in him that he couldn't bring himself to think of Sonic as his brother? Clearly, Shadow needed more time before he'd feel comfortable thinking of himself and Sonic as brothers again. "…I know it hurts, pup, and I'm sorry for hurting you like that. Do you want me to use the aloe gel? I still have the leaves, and it'll help with the pain."

Looking at Sonic, Shadow could tell he was still feeling guilty, but he wasn't sure if he should agree.

"I won't pressure you to agree, pup. Take your time in answering." Sonic knew that the little pup would have trouble deciding things for himself, given the fact that Werehog usually beat him whenever he tried to make his own decisions or went against something he was told.

Shadow did want the pain to go away, but he still wasn't sure. Finally, after thinking it over for a while, he hesitantly nodded.

"Alright. I'll have to lay you on your stomach. Is that okay?" he asked. He felt like he had to ask, given what had transpired in the past several minutes..

He was scared, but Shadow still managed to reply, "O-Okay, 'o-oni."

After carefully laying Shadow over his lap, Sonic took out the remaining aloe leaves he had in his quills and ripped four of them in half until he felt like he had enough gel. "This will feel cold, but it'll help make the pain go away," he said before gently applying the cold gel all over Shadow's still burning butt.

Shadow whimpered and squirmed at the feel of the cool gel, but it did start to help with the pain a little. It even took away some of the burning.

Once he was done, Sonic wiped any residue off his hand on the grass. "Alright, pup, I'm finished," he said, picking Shadow up by the scruff and holding him in his arms.

As if this was some kind of cue, Shadow visibly relaxed and calmed down, especially after Sonic started making comforting sounds and rumbles in his chest to soothe the pup. It worked, seeing as Shadow instinctively snuggled into his fur in response.

Within minutes, they were both asleep, Sonic continuing to hold the pup in a protective embrace.

_T.B.C._

*blink* That was a sudden shift…from being completely pissed off to guilty and comforting, but that's the way it is. To be honest, in the middle of the chapter, I had the urge to listen to "You'll Be In my Heart" by Phil Collins.

And yes, 55 lashes (I call them swats though) with a switch is brutal for a child, but Sonic _was_ pissed off about the prank. He didn't realize what he was doing, even if it did seem like he was aware of it. He wasn't. When his eye color had started to, but never finished, changing, it was only Werehog's mindset that got through.

Somewhat random piece of info: When I say "little" pup, I mean little compared to Sonic the Werehog/"Were-san", though I'm stating the obvious. When Sonic is in control over Werehog, or if it's Werehog himself, he's the size of a full grown Great Dane. Shadow Pup is roughly the size of a 6 month-old Labrador Retriever. That's how I picture their size to be, anyway.

Oh, and if anyone wonders why Shadow Angel didn't appear, the answer is simple: he's in shock.

Shadow Pup will be stuttering for a while, until I can think of a way for Sonic to fight off Werehog for good (though I kinda like Werehog. Not because of the hell he's giving Shadow, I just find him cool).

Let me know how I did. Comment/review. As I said last time, any flames sent will be ignored or used to destroy GUN. Though I do have sadistic tendencies, as shown in this story, I feel bad for Shadow Pup, so don't be too hard on me.

ShidesuHejjihoggu


	11. Chapter 11

Okay, I know at least a couple of you guys were shocked about what happened last chapter, but I can safely say that nothing like that will happen again.

Thanks for the reviews, guys!

**GenesisBlazingShadow**: I didn't notice the errors. Thanks for pointing them out. I'll use any term I feel like using, and since the perspective will switch back to being in the werepup's perspective, the term will change as well. STAY AWAY FROM MAH PUPPEH! *holds werepup close*

**SilverLuna77**: I'll work on toning the story down for you. At least Sonic's capable of feeling guilt, unlike Werehog, so he'll still feel really bad about it. Sonic will also try his best to repair the broken trust. Nice, I just imagined that too.

**Wolf'sBreath92**: Like the cookies? If you remember a few chapters ago, Shadow Angel had warned Sonic against losing his cool? Well that was some foreshadowing on my part. Yeah, that song did match the mood, and after I put the chapter up, I listened to the song.

**HyperShanic01**: That song fits any almost family story, in my opinion. It felt nice writing the ending.

This chapter, and an undecided number of chapters after this one, will mainly be about Sonic trying to regain Shadow Pup's trust.

The rest of the story will most likely be in Shadow Pup's perspective.

Disclaimer: I only own the storyline.

Chapter 11

_Dream_

_He found himself in darkness. Where was he?_

_Suddenly, there was pain. Pain in every inch of his body, and a frighteningly familiar voice that seemed to come from all around._

"_By the time I'm done with you, runt, you'll wish you were dead."_

_The pain continued. He could hear screaming, and he realized it was his own screams._

"Shadow!"

_As the pain intensified, he saw someone nearby. Someone he knew._

"'_o-oni!"_

"_Foolish runt, you don't really think he'll help you, do you? He doesn't care about you."_

_He would've said something, but what?_

'_oni looked at him, and he thought 'oni would help him, but instead, 'oni turned around and walked away._

_He heard laughing. "You see? He doesn't care about you at all."_

_Then, there as nothing but more pain._

"Shadow, wake up!"

_End dream_

His eyes snapped open, and he pushed himself up, crying again. He felt someone holding him, and realized it was 'oni. He pushed himself away, only to fall to the ground again. This time, his still, but not as much, hurting rump didn't hit the ground. His hurt wrist did, though, and he yelped.

'oni tried to pick him up, but he got up and ran as far as the collar, and his hurt wrist, would let him.

'oni walked over to him. "Easy, pup. It was only a dream."

He shook his head, and whimpered as 'oni came closer. If it was a dream, why did it feel real?

'oni stopped walking. "Shadow, trust me. I won't hurt you again."

He could tell that 'oni still felt bad about what happened, but what if was a trick? 'oni _said_ he wouldn't hurt him, but what if he did again?

He backed away, shaking, even though the collar tightened.

"Please trust me, pup. I won't hurt you."

Should he go to 'oni? What if 'oni started…hitting him again?

He flinched and screamed when 'oni picked him up, but instead of getting hit, he was held close again.

He became confused, and became even more confused when he felt something dripping onto his ear.

When he looked up, he saw that 'oni was crying. "'o-oni?"

"I…I really am sorry for hurting you, pup. I just wish you knew how guilty I feel."

He shook his head before looking at the ground. "M-My f-fault. I-I d-deserved i-it f-for d-doing th-the pr-prank."

"You didn't deserve _any_ of it, pup. You didn't deserve what I did, and you don't deserve anything Werehog has done to you."

He tensed. Uh-oh. What was Were-san going to do when he took control? How badly was Were-san going to punish - No. Not punish. It's not punishment if he didnt deserve it, but...what if he did deserve it? What if he deserved all of it?

'oni held him closer. "I know I said this before, but I'll make sure he won't hurt you again. I'll fight him with everything I have, even if it kills me."

He wanted to believe that, but then the dream came back. He whimpered and started shaking again.

"What's wrong, pup?"

He shook his head, and tried to get away from 'oni.

"I can't help if you won't tell me what's wrong."

"W-Won't h-help…h-he sa-said s-so…"

"I'll always help you, pup. Where did you get the idea I wouldn't?"

"A-A dr-dream…"

"It was only a dream, pup. Dreams aren't real."

He was still trying to get away from 'oni. He heard 'oni sigh before he was put down on the ground.

"What can I do to make you believe I won't hurt you?"

He whined and looked at the ground, then shook his head.

It was quiet, 'cept for the nighttime bugs.

"…There's still a while until sunrise. Do you want me to get you some food?"

It had always been 'oni who got him food, and though he was hungry, he didn't want 'oni to go through the trouble of hunting right now, so he shook his head.

"Alright. Let me know when you get hungry though, okay?"

Why did 'oni seem to care about him? What if it all was just a trick and 'oni would just leave him one day?

His dream played in his head again. What if it would really happen?

"Shadow?" When he looked up, and saw 'oni reaching for him, he flinched and backed away, not caring that the collar kept tightening. 'oni stopped and looked sad again.

His ears lowered, and he looked at the ground again. Why did everything go wrong around him? "S-Sorry"

"It's not your fault, pup. Don't worry about it."

He just nodded, not knowing what to say.

"Pup, listen to me. It's not your fault. It's Werehog's fault for putting you through everything in the first place."

He tried not to think of what Were-san would do. Again, his dream played in his head, and he shuddered.

He didn't notice 'oni picking him up, but he sorta felt 'oni hug him again.

"I'll protect you from him, pup. I'll do everything possible to keep him from hurting you."

"G-Gonna l-leave…Y-You're g-gonna l-leave 'c-cause y-you d-don't c-care 'b-bout m-me."

"I'll never leave, pup, and I _do_ care about you. I wouldn't have rescued you from the city if I didn't. I wouldn't have treated every wound you've gotten. I wouldn't be here right now if I didn't care about you. I'll never leave no matter what. Don't say I don't care, pup, because I do."

He was still almost sure it was all a trick, but 'oni sounded so sure. Like he really meant it. Still…if 'oni left, then he'd be all alone. He didn't want to be alone.

"Y-You w-won't l-leave?"

"Never, pup. Never."

_T.B.C._

…I had the strangest sense of déjà-vu when I was writing Sonic's little speech…

Anyway, who else feels bad for the little werepup? He will have trust issues, and conflicting feelings about everything he's been through, for a while, but it'll slowly pass as the chapters progress, just like the stuttering.

If anyone has any ideas on how I should get rid of Werehog, since I don't know how I should, feel free to give me some. I won't be getting rid of Werehog for several more chapters, but ideas are always appreciated. It's not another poll, so you can give as many ideas as you can.

Sorry if the chapter was short!

Oh, and I am not sure when I'll have the next chapter for this story, and for my other story, "Family", up, seeing as I start college on Monday. *deep sigh* Damn, this is gonna suck…

Leave a comment/review!

ShidesuHejjihoggu


	12. Chapter 12

Holy crap, sorry for the long wait, everyone! Again, it has to do with college, and also my working on my other story.

On the bright side, this story now has over 1000 hits! Thank you, readers!

**GenesisBlazingShadow**: *glares* Shut up and stop laughing. I can tell you're being sarcastic and I don't like sarcasm being used against me. Yes, all things must come to an end, though there are plenty of times when we wish they wouldn't…

**HyperShanic01**: No shit it's similar, where do you think I get most of the inspiration and other stuff from? Need I remind you this whole story got started from what we type? I get annoyed too, I just don't show it as much. Or as often. I do get worried though…among other emotions…

**SliverLuna**: What happened to the 77 at the end of your name? I feel bad for them too; I actually felt the emotions as I typed. You're welcome! Your dog looks like Shadow and acts like werepup? Wow, that _is_ weird.

**jorenmartijn**: Yeah, sorry about that. The reason for that is Shadow Angel is pretty much wallowing in guilt right now. It was his idea (fault) that led to what had happened, so he's blaming himself. He's so lost in his guilt that he's not aware of what's going on with werepup. He'll be mentioned a few times, but he won't be saying anything for a few more chapters.

**Wolf'sBreath92**: He has, hasn't he? If you do get any ideas, either send them by pm or in a review. Either way works for me. :)

Again, the next few chapters deal with Sonic regaining the little werepup's trust. There are a few surprises here and there. BTW, it's still nighttime in this chapter. At least most of it.

Disclaimer: If I owned them, would I be writing fanfiction? I think not.

Chapter 12

Was it true? 'oni wouldn't leave? He felt happy for a second, but then it went away. Could it really be true? He didn't know.

"You okay, pup?"

He jumped, forgetting that 'oni was holding him. Looking at 'oni, he nodded. "I-I'm o-ok-kay."

"I didn't mean to scare ya, pup. Are you sure you're okay?"

He nodded again.

"Pup, if something's bothering you, you can talk to me about anything. Remember that."

Not really listening, he just nodded again.

Looking at the ground, he almost wondered when Were-san was going to take over again. He didn't, though, but he shivered anyway.

He was a little surprised when 'oni hugged him tighter. "You're probably getting tired of hearing this already, Shadow, but I'll say it as many times as I need to. No matter what the cost, I'll find a way to get rid of him for good. You'll finally be free."

Something didn't seem right. 'oni only said he would be free, not the both of them. "W-What a-ab-about y-you?"

"I said no matter the cost, and that includes the chance that I may have to give up my life."

His eyes widened, and he tensed as his head starting hurting. Whimpering, he held his head; for a second, he saw the image of him and 'oni attacking humans, and another image of 'oni having a deep wound in his chest.

"Shadow?"

He opened his eyes, though he didn't know he had closed them. He was shaking again.

"…You saw a part of that memory, didn't you?"

He flinched. He could almost hear the anger in 'oni's voice. How did 'oni know? Why had he said anything to 'oni in the first place? He knew he shouldn't run, but at that moment, he didn't care about the collar. He tried to get away.

"Easy, pup, I'm not mad at you. I just want to know if you did see that memory."

He stopped moving. 'oni wasn't mad? Maybe 'oni was just pretending.

"Please believe me, pup. I won't be mad no matter what your answer."

Taking a chance by looking up at 'oni, he saw that 'oni wasn't mad. Still, that could change at any moment. He knew it could.

"Do you believe me, Shadow?"

Oddly, he really did. Even though he knew 'oni could become really mad at any time. He nodded. He smiled a little when he saw 'oni smile. Then 'oni's smile went away.

"Pup, did you see that memory?"

Why did 'oni keep saying it was a memory? Maybe…maybe it was one of his past self's memories?

His ears drooped when he thought of his past self. Ever since 'oni had…hit him, he hadn't heard anything from his past self, and all he could feel from him was…what was it? Oh, right, guilt. Why was his past self feeling so bad?

Then he remembered that it was his past self's idea to do the prank.

He suddenly thought that his past self deserved to feel bad. He got rid of the thought. He _had_ listened to his past self…so who deserved what?

"Shadow? Are you listening?"

He jumped again. Why hadn't he been listening? He knew he _always had to listen_. "S-S-Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. Now, back to my question. Did you see that memory?"

Now he was wondering why 'oni kept saying the question over and over again. He still nodded, answering 'oni's question.

'oni sighed. "I thought so…With thought speak, memories can also be sent through the link…It's not always pleasant, but it has advantages too."

"I-Is th-th-that h-how y-you kn-kn-knew?"

"Yeah, it is. I don't know if you meant for me to see the images you saw, but since you didn't know about the memory thing, I doubt you did."

Was it a good thing he now knew how 'oni knew about the memory? He wasn't sure. "S-Sorry…"

"It's okay, pup. You didn't know."

It wasn't okay _because_ he didn't know. "S-Sorry."

'oni sighed again. "Shadow…"

Uh-oh. 'oni was getting mad. What had he done wrong?

'I'm not mad, Shadow. It's just that you keep apologizing for every little thing, and some of those things you don't need to be sorry for."

He almost said 'sorry' again, but didn't. He knew that saying it used to get him out of trouble, but he never had the chance to say it when Were-san was in control. Maybe if he had, Were-san wouldn't have beaten him so much…

Suddenly, there was a roar from behind some big bushes.

Then, something big came out of them. It was even bigger than 'oni!

"What's a bear doing in this part of the woods?!"

He didn't really know what a bear was, 'cause he hadn't seen one 'till now, but somehow he knew it wasn't good to see one.

The bear roared again, and started running towards him and 'oni.

'oni growled and put him down. "Go hide, Shadow!"

Was 'oni going to fight the bear? He thought so, but he wondered why he had to hide. Was it…because 'oni didn't want him to get hurt?

Why did 'oni care so much?

He kept wondering as he hurried as fast as he could with his broken wrist.

He was about to make it to some other bushes, when the collar pulled him back. No! He needed to hide!

When he looked back, he saw that the bear had seen him running, had gone around 'oni, and was now coming for him!

He was too scared to move. He couldn't move 'cause of the collar anyway, but now he was too scared, too. He shut his eyes. He could feel his Chaos Energy rising. Then, when he could hear the bear was really close to him, and he could tell the bear was about to attack, he let some of it out.

He couldn't hear much anymore, and when he opened his eyes, he saw that he made the barrier again, and the bear was trying to break it.

Suddenly he clearly heard 'oni's voice. "Get away from my pup!"

His eyes widened. Did he hear that right? He didn't realize that he accidentally let the barrier down, until he found himself flying through the air, pain burning in his chest.

Landing on the ground made the pain worse, making him yelp.

He couldn't see what was happening, 'cause he wasn't facing them anymore, and his eyes were closed, but he could hear 'oni fighting the bear. He couldn't tell what 'oni was saying; he hurt too much.

Finally, there was nothing but quiet. Who won?

He heard footsteps coming towards him. Was it 'oni, or the bear?

He then felt someone pick him up gently. "Pup…"

He whimpered. His chest still hurt.

"It's gone, Shadow. I drove the bear off."

"H-Hurts…"

"I know it does, pup. To be honest, I was surprised you put up the barrier again. It may have saved your life; your wound isn't that deep."

He whimpered again. The pain hadn't even started going away.

"I know using the aloe leaves doesn't hurt you, but I don't have enough for this at the moment, and I don't want to leave you alone to look for some more while you're like this…"

What was 'oni going to do?

Suddenly he felt something going over his wound a lot. It almost felt like 'oni was giving him a bath again…but why? He didn't need a bath, or want one.

Maybe it was because it was only his wound, but it didn't take that long. It didn't hurt as much now.

"Alright, pup, I got it cleaned."

He nodded.

"Shadow, you alright?"

He didn't know why he was feeling so tired. Even though his chest wasn't hurting as much, it still hurt when he leaned into 'oni's fur.

"Don't move around too much, you're still bleeding, though not as much. Plus, you've lost some blood already, so you don't want to lose any more, do you?"

He shook his head. He was really tired, but he didn't want to sleep. Didn't want to have that dream again…

"I wish I could do more to help…"

Why did 'oni say that? 'oni had already helped. He opened his eyes and looked at 'oni.

"'o-oni…"

"Yeah, pup?"

"I-I h-heard y-you e-earlier…"

"When the bear went after you?"

Nod.

"I guess I really am starting to see you as my pup."

He smiled a bit and buried himself more into 'oni's fur. He didn't know why, but hearing 'oni's heart always made him calm…

**(A/N: I'm going to switch to normal 3rd person POV for this next bit. Hope you guys don't mind!)**

_**In Sonic's mind…**_

_Werehog was fuming. It took the little self-control he had not to attack the other forms. "That damned, good-for-nothing runt! I'll kill him for this!"_

_Psycho Super was oddly calm when he spoke. "You could have killed him at any time, why do you want to now?"_

_The other negative forms, Dark Super Sonic, Darkspine Sonic, and the warped, psychotic version of Super Sonic, were all at a distance from the irate Werehog. There wasn't really a need for them to take control of their host, seeing as Sonic usually needed to be around all seven Chaos Emeralds, or in Darkspine's case the Hatred, Anger, and Sorrow World Rings that were sealed in the "Arabian Nights" book, for that to happen._

_They all could see what was happening around Sonic through his eyes, but since Werehog had been the one in control the most recently, he had more privilege to._

"_Don't you see?! He's imprinting himself on our pathetic weakling of a host!"_

_Even though Darkspine was technically neutral, he was considered one of the negative forms by the others, as he was fueled by negative emotions, hence the reason why he was with them. "What do you mean, 'imprinting'?"_

_Now Werehog had an expression of utter revulsion. "It has to do with the lupine side of us. When still young, a canine can emotionally attach itself to whoever is raising them. That damn runt is starting to see Sonic as his authority figure."_

_Dark Super, during the explanation, had been shifting through some of their host's, and Werehog's, memories. He was the only one out of them to have that ability while in their host's mind. "He has the whole time, he was just too afraid of you to fully imprint. Judging by how he acts with you, he also sees you, somewhat, as his leader."_

_Werehog grinned evilly. "Perhaps a few more lessons should teach him who the true Alpha is. I'll just have to give those lessons when he least expects them."_

**(A/N: 3rd person's over, as well as being in Sonic's mind. Now, back to your regularly scheduled programming…er, reading)**

He opened his eyes, and saw that it was already daytime. Something didn't seem right, and it wasn't because he wasn't being held by 'oni anymore…

Wait, where was 'oni?!

He got up, whimpering when he felt the pain in his wrist and chest.

He looked around, trying to find 'oni. 'oni said he wouldn't leave! He said so!

Alone. He was alone.

Just knowing he was alone made him start crying. He didn't care what Were-san had said about it.

He huddled into himself, not caring anymore about his hurt wrist and chest.

Why did 'oni leave? Why?! He hadn't done anything wrong…had he? He wasn't sure. He must have…if 'oni left.

He almost didn't hear the footsteps coming towards him, but he did. He didn't know if it was 'oni, and he didn't care. He just didn't want to be alone.

"Shadow?"

Was it-? He lifted his head up. "'o-oni?"

He almost thought it was a joke, but it wasn't. It really was 'oni!

Not thinking about his still hurting wrist and chest, he got up and ran to 'oni, before jumping up and hugging him. "'oni!" He had already been crying, it just started again.

He felt 'oni rest a hand on the top of his head. "What's wrong, pup?"

"I-I th-thought y-you l-left…I-I w-woke u-up, a-and d-didn't s-see y-you."

"I'll never leave, pup. If I wanted to leave, wouldn't I have done so by now?"

That made sense…a little. 'oni _could_ have left by now…

"D-Don't w-wanna b-be a-alone…" He didn't know why he whispered.

"You won't be alone, Shadow. Not if I have anything to say about it."

"Th-Then w-why…?"

"Why was I gone? I went to do some hunting, in case you got hungry, but when I finally took down the doe, the sun rose and I turned back into a hedgehog. Even with my speed, it still took me a while to get here. I thought you'd still be asleep by the time I got back."

He looked up, and saw the deer at a distance. He _was_ hungry…but should he eat it? He looked at 'oni.

"Go ahead, Shadow. It's all yours."

He wanted to, but what if 'oni left while he was eating?

"Shadow, I won't leave. What if I stand on the other side of the deer while you eat? That way, you'd be able to see me."

That sounded like a good plan, but would it work? He looked at the deer again. He was really, _really_ hungry.

"Go on, pup."

He finally nodded and let go of 'oni. Then 'oni carried him to the deer. When they got there, 'oni put him on the ground, and went to the other side.

He was still looking at 'oni. He didn't know why, but something was telling him to wait.

"What's wrong, Shadow?"

His ears drooped. What was he supposed to say? "U-Um…w-waiting…"

"Why are you- Oh, I get it. Pack dynamics says that the Alpha eats first. Well, there is a loophole. It's also customary for the Alpha's pups to eat before even the Alpha. Besides, since it's daytime, and I'm now a hedgehog again, I don't think I can stomach eating that doe. You see me as the Alpha?"

He nodded.

"I should've expected it, since we _are_ pack. A small pack, but still a pack."

Pack. Family. Was pack really the same as family? He didn't know…but at the same time, he knew they _were_ the same.

Still…what if 'oni left when he started eating?

He looked at the deer, only to look back at 'oni right away.

"Shadow, if you don't eat soon, it'll get cold. The meat won't taste as good if it's cold."

That was true. He kept looking at 'oni for a bit, before eating.

It wasn't that long before he was done eating.

When he looked up, 'oni was still there.

"I said I wouldn't leave, and I didn't. I won't leave, pup, ever."

This time, he started to believe that 'oni meant it.

'oni came back to him around the deer and picked him up.

"Pup, you've got some blood stuck to your muzzle."

He did? With his good paw, he rubbed his muzzle, and saw that there was blood.

"Shadow, rubbing the blood didn't help, only smeared it. I know how to get it off."

Looking at 'oni, he nodded.

"Alright, then." 'oni carried him a long ways to a river. Then, 'oni sat down next to the river and scooped up a bit of the water.

He knew what 'oni was gonna do with the water, and he tried to get away.

"Calm down, pup, the water's not even that cold."

He didn't care; he just didn't want to cleaned with water.

"Keep struggling, and we'll be here longer, pup."

He didn't know why, but he just didn't want to get cleaned with water.

"Shadow!"

He stopped moving. "S-Sorry."

"I know you don't want to get wet, but this is the easiest way to get the blood off your face. It won't take that long, either."

Looking at the water, he didn't know what to think. 'oni _said_ he _had to_ get the blood off…but he didn't like baths at all. 'specially not with water.

"Pup, just let me wash the blood off, then we can go back, alright?"

He was about to answer, when he saw that everything was getting darker. Was it already night again?

"Looks like it's about to rain."

"R-Rain?"

"Yeah, you see how the clouds are getting darker and bigger?"

He looked up, and saw that it was happening. "Y-Yeah"

"They're filling up with water. When they get full enough, they'll dump it back onto us, which should begin right…about…now."

'oni was right, the 'rain' started coming down.

He yelped when he started getting wet, and tried to hide in 'oni's fur.

"Pup, I don't think that's going to work. We got to find shelter."

He nodded.

"Don't let go, pup."

He didn't need to ask why, 'cause 'oni was already running. He could feel the wind.

He didn't know how long it was before 'oni stopped running.

"This is the best that I could find. I just hope it'll last us for the entire storm."

He really didn't care, 'cause he was still getting wet! He kept trying to hide in 'oni's fur.

It wasn't too long before he felt the rain stop. He could still hear it, but he couldn't feel it anymore.

Only now he was cold, even though 'oni was still holding him. He shivered.

"Don't worry, Shadow. I'm sure the storm won't last that long."

He looked up at 'oni, before looking around. A cave?

"Like I said, pup, this was the best I could find. It was the _only_ place I could find. We'll just have to deal with it for now."

He looked at 'oni again, and nodded.

"We may be here a while, and we both need to catch up on sleep."

His ears went down again. He didn't want to sleep. He wanted to…explore.

"I know what you're thinking, pup. You can't go exploring right now, not with your wrist busted up. It might make it worse, and then it'll hurt more."

'oni was right. Why had he thought of exploring? Why had he thought of going anywhere? It wasn't like he could. He tugged at the collar, and it tightened a bit.

"If only I could get that off you…"

He felt 'oni grab the collar, then…

There was pain.

A lot of pain.

Everywhere.

Why didn't it stop?

He heard screaming.

Who was screaming?

…_He_ was screaming.

Why did he have to be in pain?

Had he done something wrong?

What had he done to deserve the pain?

When would everything stop?

Finally, it went away, but only some of it.

Then he knew no more…

…

He wasn't sure how long it was before he slowly opened his eyes. It took him a while to remember what happened.

He was still cold, and he hurt a lot.

He also felt…safe…

He realized he was still being held. He couldn't hear the rain anymore, but it was still kinda dark. Was it because of the clouds? Or was it night again?

He didn't know…and he didn't _want_ to know.

He tried to get away, but then there was a growl, and the grip around him tightened.

He stopped moving. He was scared. He whimpered.

He looked up, but he still couldn't tell if it was really 'oni. (1)

He still didn't want to know what would happen to him if he stayed…and yet, he knew he couldn't run. Running made things worse. Running was why he had the collar…

The collar!

He felt for it, but it was gone.

He was free. Not fully, but still free.

'oni helped him become free.

He smiled a little, and buried himself into the fur.

He thought of all the times 'oni called him 'pup' and what 'oni had said after the bear attack.

'_Guess I really am starting to see you as my pup.'_

Did…Did that mean that 'oni wanted to be his…dad?

'_I'll always be your brother, even if you start to think of me as your dad.'_

All of a sudden, a word popped into his head. He didn't know where it came from…but it sounded like 'pup'.

And if he was 'pup' then shouldn't 'oni be…

"Papa…"

_T.B.C._

If you guys kill me for ending it like that, you won't ever see what happens next time. *smirks*

Most of what was written came out of nowhere. I'm serious.

Except for the scene where Shadow was alone. I had a hard time deciding on whehter it _should've_ been day, or still be night, and it was really Werehog instead of Sonic. Also, while writing the part where Shadow found out he was alone, the song "Perfect" by Simple Plan played in my head. Why does that always happen to me? It's weird.

For those who speak Spanish as well as English, Shadow Pup is _not_ calling Sonic "potato". As amusing as that would be, he isn't bilingual. Or would it be trilingual since he uses Japanese terms? Ah, who cares?

As for how I described Werehog's and Shadow Pup's sizes a couple of chapters ago, I feel like changing it. Werehog, or Sonic when he's in control, will be about twice the size of a normal wolf. From what I know about animal anatomy, that's still relatively smaller than a bear, but not by as much. Werepup will be the size of a regular 5 month-old wolf puppy. Looks like that means a massive growth spurt when he's older. As a hedgehog, Sonic will be...one and a half times larger than a normal sized wolf. This explains how he can easily carry werepup even when it's day.

As for the small scene in Sonic's mind, if anyone seemed OOC, or didn't act the way you expected, well, I get the feeling that Sonic's dark forms would act civil towards _each other_. And Werehog really does have little self-control.

Also, as for why I referred Fleetway Super Sonic as "Psycho" Super, I couldn't very well refer to him in the story as "Fleetway" Super, could I? Don't get me wrong, Fleetway Comics version of Super Sonic is awesome! So are Darkspine and of course Werehog, and I just don't mean my portrayal of Werehog. Oh, and Dark Super Sonic. Clearly, something is wrong with me if I like all of Sonic's dark forms.

(1)- It actually is night again, and Sonic fell asleep, so Shadow isn't sure if it's Sonic or Werehog because he can't see the eyes.

Who's glad I finally got rid of the collar? And for their relationship changing slowly to more of a father/son bond?

What does Werehog have planned for little werepup? And will he ever take over at night again? Why am I asking you these questions?

Here's one question I want to ask you guys. What exactly is the right definition for the suffix -san? I've seen a few different definitions for it, but Im not sure which is the true use for it.

1) to show respect

2) used for someone who is a higher rank than you, but isn't at the highest rank

3) "Mr." or "Mrs."

4) used at someone you see as an equal.

I've been using the first two defintions for it the whole time, but if I've been using the wrong one, please tell me, and I'll stop using it in the following chapters, and tell me what other terms I can have werepup use for Werehog.

Let me know how I did! Leave a comment/review!

ShidesuHejjihoggu


	13. Chapter 13

Guess what? I'm not dead, and I finally updated! And I finally renamed the story! Sorry I didn't pick anyone's suggestions, I was thinking about them, when my own idea for the title popped into my head.

Sorry for the really long wait. Again, unmotivation and college played a part in it. As well as internet issues… *mutters curse words at laptop under breath* and I had writer's block, too. Plus, one of my reviewers, who I also know in real life, was having some computer issues, so I waited for the problem to be resolved before I updated this, because that's how much I care for my readers and reviewers. If you guys are ever having trouble with your comp or internet at home, get to the nearest computer elsewhere and send me a PM ASAP, kay? I don't want any one of my reviewers to feel left out.

Thanks for the reviews!

Normally I would put some review replies in here, but I've heard of some stories getting deleted because of it, so I'll stop doing it. If I haven't replied to your review, you'll just have to wait until next time. Sorry.

And now for something I know you a couple of you guys have been waiting for…the return of Shadow Angel! :D Also, Shadow Pup will, from this point on, refer to Sonic as "Papa" :3

Oh! Before I forget, this story now has fanart! Thanks to Wolf'sBreath92! Here are the links, just take out all spaces first.

**http: // monster – house – fan 92 . deviantart . com / art / Sleep – Tight – 139069283**

**http: // monster – house – fan 92 . deviantart . com / art / Who – Should – I – Follow - 142031157**

**Warning**: More killing of humans. Hopefully I didn't go overboard.

**REMINDER:** This fanfic is rated T so abuse scenes have to be somewhat graphic, but I will _TRY_ (remember that I am a sadist) to make the scenes as non-brutal as possible. Now if this was rated M…well, let's just say that there would be more than just beatings in store for our favorite Werepup.

Disclaimer: I only own the plot. Characters belong to SEGA. At least Sonic and Shadow the Hedgehogs, as well as Sonic the Werehog belong to SEGA. Not so sure about Shadow the Werepup…

Chapter 13

Had he fallen asleep again? He wasn't sure. The next thing he knew, though, was being thrown to the ground. His wrist, which was still broken, hurt a lot more when it hit the floor, making him yelp.

It was when he felt the pain that he realized Were-san was in control; he didn't need to open his eyes to know that. But how? 'oni – no, Papa now – said he would fight against Were-san.

Not thinking about how he would be punished, or that it would only make things worse, he scooted away.

He didn't get very far before he felt the familiar pain of being hit in the face.

"You no-good runt! Not only to do you try to run, but you also had the collar removed!"

Again he was slapped. He wasn't sure what was worse, the pain or the yelling.

"What are my rules, runt?!"

Rules…he knew them, he really did, but he was too afraid…

"Answer me!"

How was he supposed to say them again? He was scared, he couldn't help it.

He almost screamed when Were-san grabbed his broken wrist tightly.

"Runt, answer or your punishment will be worse!!"

Should he? Or should he say 'no'? He had to decide fast.

The growls coming from Were-san made him decide then, and he shook his head.

He did scream this time when he heard a _SNAP_ from his wrist, and he knew that it had been broken again. The pain was so bad, he couldn't help crying.

"You're going to wish you hadn't defied me. And stop that damn crying!"

Now there was pain all over his body as Were-san started to beat him. It was worse, since he was still hurting from the collar being removed and from being thrown to the floor.

"There's only room for one Alpha! I'll make sure you learn that it's going to be me!"

He only had time to use thought speak to send a message, _"Help me…"_ to both his past self, and Papa before everything went black…

…

"_Kid. Kid! Wake up!"_

Who…who was that? He opened his eyes abit, only to shut them again. Why was there a bright light? What happened? Why did he feel that there was a lot of energy around him?

"_Kid!"_

He opened his eyes again. He saw…his past self?! Only he looked different, 'cause the black fur and wings had changed to yellow.

"Wha…?"

"_Confused about the change?"_

Nod.

"_Well, when you called for help, I felt some Chaos Energy. When I left your mind to investigate, I saw the Chaos Emeralds floating above us."_

Now he was really confused, but there was something familiar about the words 'Chaos Emeralds'.

"_The Chaos Emeralds are seven gems that, when combined, will make you really powerful. They can be used for good or evil, depending on what the person who gathers them wants to do with them. Here, maybe this will help."_

A picture came into his head, and he saw the…Chaos Emeralds, all different colors. He really liked the green one, though he didn't know why.

"_If you concentrate on using the Emeralds power for something good, then you'll gain a Super form, which is why my fur is a different color right now."_

He wondered about that, but he didn't really like the new color. It made him think of Were-san eyes…

Were-san! He remembered what happened now, and he felt…panic and fear.

"_Calm down. I managed to knock him out for now. When I went Super, I also gained my body back. We're now separate beings, and I can finally do something physically against him."_

It had taken him this long to realize that he wasn't in his mind, but awake in the cave?

He saw the Chaos Emeralds above them, too. They were spinning around in a circle, though, making him dizzy. He blinked, and when he did, they all went away in different directions. Aw…

His past self suddenly fell forward abit, but didn't hit the ground, his fur and wings went back to black.

"_I almost forgot what that feels like; having that much energy, and then it's suddenly gone. I used most of my Energy to heal you, so, and I can't believe I'm about to admit this, it took a lot out of me."_

Now he knew why he didn't hurt anymore, but…why did his past self go through the trouble? He would've healed by himself…

"_Trust me, kid, this is easier than having to live with the actual pain."_

Pain…so far, whenever he had felt pain, it meant he had done something wrong…right? Even after the beating was over, the pain was still there…reminding him not to mess up again.

So what did it mean when the pain was gone?

"_Hey, kid? Look, about what happened earlier with the prank…"_

He couldn't help flinching at the memory. Even if…what happened had been an accident, he still had _never_ seen Papa that angry before…

Heck, right now his rump hurt thinking about that. He shook his head, feeling his face grow hot.

"_Listen, it was never my intention to get you into that much trouble. If I'd known Sonic would react that way, I…I never would've suggested that prank."_

He could tell that his past self was having trouble with this. From what he knew, his past self wasn't good with emotions. Still, he apprecai…appri…liked that his past self was trying to say 'sorry' and for that he smiled. "I-It's okay. N-No one knew th-that w-would happen."

Now he saw his past self smile. _"Looks like Sonic's rubbing off on you, if you can forgive not only him for…that, but also me for getting you into that mess."_

Not sure what to say, he looked outside, then saw Were-san. Remembering that his past self had knocked Were-san out made him wonder if anything that hurt him while he was in control also hurt Papa when he got back control.

"_Relax, kid, I made sure not to do too much damage."_

Then, all of a sudden, he heard a growl. Oh, no…

His past self turned. _"What?! He should have been unconscious until at least sunrise!"_

"Did you honestly think you could beat _me_?"

"_Damn it. Looks like I'll have to use my full power."_

He was scared, but he didn't want to show it…didn't want to be seen as weak…

Wait, what was that? He looked at the ground in front of his past self, and saw…the rings that had been on his wrists? What was going on?

All of a sudden, a _HUGE_ amount of…what was it again? Oh, yeah, Chaos Energy, came bursting from his past self.

But Were-san only laughed. "Even at your full power, you can't stop me. You said yourself I was _supposed_ to be unconscious until sunrise, but it's not even midnight yet."

"_Even if I don't stop you, at least I'm one more person who's _trying!_"_

He watched as his past self ran at Were-san, then punching him in the face. If only he was brave enough to do that…then he could help…

But…hadn't he already defied Were-san? If he could do that…then maybe he _could_ help.

He was about to…until he saw the fighting get worse as Were-san fought back, slashing at his past self's face…maybe he shouldn't try to help…

Suddenly, his past self fell to the ground. _"Damn it. Not here, not now."_

Were-san laughed again. "I knew your power would run out soon, so I simply waited it out."

"_Bastard!"_

"Oh, shut up." His past self was then punched in the stomach, _hard_, and went flying. He had to duck to keep from getting hit.

He started to run to his past self, to see if he was okay, but then he was roughly grabbed by the scruff.

"Don't think I forgot about you, runt."

He couldn't help shaking. Why had he even tried? Why had he…been defiant in the first place? "W-W-W-Were-s-s-s-san, I-I-I-I…"

He only stopped because Were-san growled, and he felt his grip tighten. "If you think I'll go easy on you for _any_ reason, you're wrong."

He couldn't help whimpering. He _had_ felt brave a while ago, but now…

He looked over at where he thought his past self was before looking at the ground, and his ears went back. It was his fault his past self got hurt…

It was like Were-san could read his thoughts…well, he probably did. "See what happens when you defy me? Not only are _you_ punished, but now someone else will be hurt. And it'll be all your fault."

A part of him…believed Were-san. He glanced over at his past self again, and…he knew it would happen.

If he defied again…then his past self could get hurt again…and it would be his fault…he didn't want anyone else to get hurt just because he messed up…

He then realized that Were-san had been talking, and he hadn't been listening. He just hoped Were-san didn't notice…he managed to hear the end, though…

"…doesn't show as much respect, got it?"

"Y-Yes."

"Yes, _what_?"

What? What did that mean? Did Were-san want to be called something else? Something…something that…showed more respect…he tried to think of what to say, but he couldn't. Now Were-san would know he hasn't been listening…

He knew it happened when he heard Were-san growling, and he was grabbed by the throat. "You weren't paying attention, were you, runt?!"

He whimpered and tried to get Were-san to let go. It was hard to breathe already, how was he supposed to answer?

Everything was starting to go fuzzy again…but then…Were-san let go? He could breathe again, but now he could feel that he was being held by his scruff again.

"Perhaps a little reminder will teach you to pay attention."

Reminder? What? What would happen to him? He realized that he was being carried outside, towards…no…

He was going to be stuck in that hole again…and…he didn't want to be. He didn't want to go through that again!

He felt his own Chaos Energy stirring as he struggled. He wanted…to stay away from the hole. He didn't want to go back in. He wouldn't!

Before he knew it, he was back on the ground. When he looked up at Were-san, he saw that…he had…_slashed_ Were-san's muzzle. Right where his past self had punched him. He could feel the blood on his claws, but he didn't care.

He didn't care, because…now Were-san and Papa were fighting for control. How did slashing Were-san cause the fight for control?

He never did know who would win, so all he could do was wait…but his ears still folded back.

He watched as the eyes kept changing back and forth, until finally…they stayed as Papa's green eyes.

"I was wondering when you would fight back, pup."

He couldn't help smiling.

"It would've been easier for me if you had done it sooner, but better late than never, I guess."

It was then that he remembered about his past self. His smile going away, he ran back into the cave.

"Shadow, where you going? Shadow!"

As he ran, he picked up the rings, something he couldn't have done if his past self hadn't helped him.

When he got to his past self, he saw that his past self was already starting to get up. "_That was one helluva punch"._

He heard Papa come up from behind him. "N-Nii-san? How the-?"

His past self took the rings and put them back on his wrists. _"Thanks, kid. As for how I'm alive and whole again, Sonic, well, you can thank the Emeralds for that."_

"The Emeralds? What were they doing here?"

"…_Sonic, you can't possibly say that weren't watching through Werehog's eyes?"_

He looked back at Papa, and saw him flinch, then sigh. "Not by my own will, I don't. He sometimes makes me watch through his eyes. This was no exception. I didn't see all of it, so I didn't know about the Emeralds, but everything else…"

His ears went back even more. Even Papa was getting hurt because of him…even if Papa wasn't getting hit, he was still getting hurt 'cause of him…

He felt the tears in his eyes, but…he didn't want…

"_Kid, blaming yourself won't help any of us, _except_ Werehog. Don't give him the satisfaction."_

"He's right, pup. Giving up, and blaming yourself, means that Werehog will know he's winning. Do you want him to win, or do you want all this to stop?"

"I-I um…" What was he supposed to say? They made it feel like it was all up to him…and he didn't like it…he didn't like any of it.

He felt Papa pick him up and hug him, and right away he tried to bury himself in Papa's fur, feeling his face getting hot. "Aw, pup, you just keep getting caught in the spotlight, don't you?"

"_At least he doesn't brag about it like you do."_

"Since when do I brag? …Don't answer that. You're the one who likes to brag."

Looking at his past self, he saw that his arms were crossed. _"I don't brag."_

"Sure you don't, Mr. 'Ultimate Life-Form'."

It was hard to see, 'cause of the dark, but he thought he saw his past self's muzzle go red. _"Oh, shut up."_

He heard, and felt, Papa laughing. "I think I finally won an argument against you!"

"_SHUT UP, SONIC!"_

Now he was nervous again. He didn't like anyone yelling…he whimpered and tried to hide in Papa's fur again.

"Now look at what you did." He could feel Papa nuzzling him. "Don't worry, pup. You know he usually doesn't shout or yell unless he's really ticked off, right?"

He wasn't sure how that was supposed to help, but it somehow did. Still, he just didn't like yelling.

"…_Uh, Sonic? Two things. One, he's not a newborn, do you really have to treat him like one? Two, you're acting like an overprotective mother."_

"Wha-! I am not!"

He flinched. Why did everyone have to yell?

"_Now who's the one yelling?"_

"…You're just doing this to get back at me for the jab at your pride, aren't you?"

"_It wouldn't be payback if I wasn't."_

Even though he was still scared from all the yelling, he really couldn't help smiling. Sometimes adults could be so silly.

"_Sonic, where'd you get those slash marks from? I just noticed them."_

"What, these? Ah, they're nothing. Pup here decided to try and fight off Werehog. I was being held back by the others, well, except Darkspine, he was just…there, but anyway, when pup slashed Werehog, it caught everyone by surprise, giving me enough time to fight them off and regain control."

"_Defying him twice in the span of a few minutes? That's impressive for anyone who's being abused."_

"Heh, I'll say. By the way, pup, where was he trying to take you?"

Did he really have to say? He didn't want to. He didn't want to think of how he was almost stuck in the hole again. He didn't like the darkness of it when it was night, that even when it was day it was cold being in there, or just being trapped in there with no one around…no one to help. It probably would've been worse, since the rain would've probably filled it up with cold water.

"_Kid, we get the picture; just stop sending us images of that fu-."_

"Nii-san, don't you _dare_ curse in front of my pup!"

"…_Hmph, you've done the same a few times, if I recall correctly from when I was still dormant in his mind."_

"At least I'm trying to refrain from it."

Why were they fighting? He could hear a little of what they were saying, 'cause he was still thinking about that hole…but fighting meant that they were yelling.

Yelling usually meant…that he would be getting hit. He tried to keep from remembering all the times he was yelled at, but it didn't work. He even tried covering his ears, which helped a little…

He almost didn't notice that the yelling stopped until he felt someone trying to uncover his ears.

Opening his eyes, he saw his past self and Papa looking at him, and they looked…worried? Slowly, he uncovered his ears, but he was still scared…he knew he was crying, he could feel the tears falling, and he could feel himself shaking abit.

"_And to think we were off to a good start…then again, this technically _is_ the start of our little 'war' against Werehog, since we're all going to fight him."_

"Yeah, but the question is, how are we _all_ going to fight him if he's a part of _my_ mind?"

"_Well, either me and the kid use the mind link to enter your mind, or we find a way to separate you and Werehog physically."_

"…I don't see either of those happening, especially the second option."

"_Those are the only choices we have, Sonic, so you'll just have to deal with it."_

While they were talking, Papa was trying to calm him down, and he did calm down, but just a little. Still, at least Papa still cared about him…he leaned more into Papa's fur. He still felt abit cold, but he didn't know why. "Papa…"

"_Oh, you've got to be kidding me…"_

"To be honest, I have the feeling he's been thinking of me as his dad for a while, and strangely enough, I don't mind it. It doesn't feel awkward at all."

"_What about the humans? If they find out about this-"_

"I know, they'll try to use it against us. They won't. The humans in Westopolis probably think he's just a- …"

"…_A clone?"_

"…Yeah…"

"_Sonic, I told you before, in a way, it _does_ make us blood brothers."_

He didn't really know what they were talking about, but he didn't say anything.

"You think I don't know that?"

"_I'm not saying that, I just don't think you fully believe it, even after all this time."_

Now he was getting really confused. What were they talking about, and what did it mean?

"…_Oh great, kid's getting curious, but if I know you as well as I think I do, you're going to wait for the right time to tell him."_

"How did you know?"

"_Well, for one thing, confusion is written all over the kid's face, and also, I know you want to protect him from the same horrors we know for as long as possible."_

Protect him? He knew Papa was trying to protect him from Were-san, but what else did he need to be protected from? Then he remembered about the humans from that city, and he couldn't help shivering. Both from what happened in the city, and from…he didn't want to go through any of _that_ again…but did Papa want to protect him from the humans themselves? Or from…the humans' hate?

He wanted to know why the humans hated him, so he concentrated on trying to find some memories, and then he saw his past self grab his head, and saw that he was in pain. _"Shit! No! Kid, don't draw out those memories!"_

All of a sudden, he saw images of what the humans had done, and he knew they were from his past self. He saw how they killed his only friend, capturing him after he had escaped, hurting him like he was being hurt now, then locking him away…

More images, of trying to actually help them, but then getting hurt again and again, being hated, then…feeling hate for them, wanting revenge for his pain…killing the humans in different cities, and then…a weapon like the one he saw before…aimed at him…but Papa shielded him from the…the bullet…taking the hit for him…

He didn't realize the images went away, or that he was growling. All he knew was that he was hated for something the humans had caused in the first place.

It was their fault, not his.

Before he knew it, he was back in the city. He was seeing red. He would make them pay.

Feeling his Chaos Energy flowing through him, he went for the nearest human and bit his throat out. Others had gotten random weapons, and tried to drive him away, but with his Chaos Energy swirling around him, the humans were killed by it, ripped to pieces.

He did the same with most of the other humans, even after he started getting tired. He kept going, until he finally got too tired to keep going. He fell to the ground, panting, the red vanishing from his sight.

That was until more humans came, one of them carrying the weapon he now hates the most.

His anger and the memories came back right away, and he started killing again. Ripping through throats, stomachs, and other body parts. He didn't care about the blood. He just wanted to make them pay.

He was just about to kill the last human in the group, when…

"Shadow!"

Papa? What was he doing here? He turned to look at Papa, when he heard the _BANG!_

The last memory he got from his past self played in his head when he heard it, but instead of that happening again, he was pulled away. It was a little late, though, 'cause he was hit in the leg. He screamed, but the pain only made him angry again.

Growling, he tried to get away from Papa.

"Shadow, no!"

Really having no other choice, he bit Papa's arm, hard enough to make him let go. It worked, and he fell to the ground again. His leg was really starting to hurt, but he didn't care at the moment.

He ran towards the human, who shot at him again, but his Chaos Energy made the shield, then he drove his claws through the human's throat.

His Chaos Energy stopped flowing, so now feeling really tired, he collapsed, his leg hurting really bad.

"Shadow…"

He tensed up, having forgotten that Papa was there. What would happen to him now?

He tried to get up, but he was too tired and in pain.

"Pup…I'm not going to hurt you, okay? You're already hurt enough, why would I add to that?"

"Not…mad, Papa?" He could hear Papa getting closer.

"I was a little at first, pup, but really, I was worried about you getting hurt." He felt Papa pick him up, and he whimpered when his leg was moved.

"Sorry, Papa…" Why did he always cause trouble for Papa?

"I can't really blame you for being curious, pup, you just wanted to know what was going on. You didn't expect to see those particular memories, just as I didn't expect you to react the way you did."

As Papa carried him, he looked around the city, and he couldn't believe the damage he'd done. He realized that what he did was no better than what the humans had done to him and his past self.

He looked at his paws, which were covered in blood. What made him react that way? The memories? Or something else? He didn't know…and he didn't _want_ to know…did he?

What was going to happen to him now? Would Papa leave? Or let Were-san continue to punish him?

He didn't realize he had said that out loud until he heard Papa saying, "Pup, don't worry about any of that. I made a promise to you and myself that I wouldn't leave, and as for Werehog, you know I'm trying my best to fight him. I can't stand seeing him hurt you. Or trying to control you. There are times where I wonder why I don't get rid of him myself…and it's because I can't. Not without killing myself in the process. Which I don't plan on doing."

It was when Papa stopped talking that he realized that they were now at a river. His ears went back. He knew why Papa brought him here.

"Shadow, it won't take that long, besides, you know as well as I do that this is the easiest way of getting the blood off. Or would you prefer me washing it off myself?"

He didn't want to say it, but he didn't want either of those. He didn't like baths.

"Choose quickly, pup, before I decide to just dunk you into the water."

Somehow, he didn't think Papa would really do that, but should he take the chance?

"Hurry up, pup, you've got 10 seconds to decide, or else you're going in."

It wasn't like he had any other choice, so he just pointed at the river and nodded.

"Alright, then. Your call. I'll try to make this go as fast as I can, okay pup?"

All he could do was nod. "Okay…"

He watched Papa sit right next to the river. "I'm not gonna dunk you in the water, pup, but I will have to stick you in if I'm gonna be able to get the blood off, all right?"

"Okay, Papa."

He looked at the river as he was being lowered into it. He yelped when the water went into the wound on his leg, and he flinched so badly he thought Papa would've dropped him.

"Easy, Shadow. It's alright. I know the water stings on that bullet wound, but the pain will go away in a little bit, I promise."

He whimpered. It didn't feel like the pain in his leg was going away, 'cause the water was cold. Really cold.

As Papa started washing the blood off, he started thinking about the memories he got from his past self. Why did the humans hate him so much, even before he started killing them? It didn't make sense…the human soldiers…they were like Were-san…always yelling, always beating. He hated them for it, so why couldn't he hate Were-san too?

"Shadow?"

He snapped out of his thoughts and shook his head, then he realized that not only was the blood gone now, but that he had been growling.

"Pup, are you alright? You spaced out one me before you started growling."

He looked up at Papa, and nodded. "I'm okay…"

"Pup…stop thinking about that…I already have an angst-ridden brother, I don't want my pup being the same way."

"Sorry…"

He saw Papa sigh. "Things are never easy for you, are they, Shadow? Both for you, and nii-san."

Again, he thought of the memories he'd gotten, and he shook his head. "No."

"Well, the only thing we have left to do is get that bullet out of your leg…we should go to a professional, but I don't think they would be too keen on helping…so looks like me and nii-san will have to remove it ourselves. I have to warn you, though, it's gonna be really painful, pup, unless you let nii-san put you to sleep so you don't feel the pain." Papa lifted him out of the water.

Pain? He didn't want more pain…he was probably starting to get used to being in pain, but it didn't mean he wanted to go through it.

No…he wouldn't go through any more pain. Papa was right, he was already hurt enough. He'd already gone through so much pain.

He almost didn't realize it this time, but he was growling again, and he was starting to see red again.

"Shadow, no!"

He wouldn't go through any more pain. Not anymore!

He felt his Chaos Energy explode out of him, making Papa let go of him.

Only…he didn't see Papa; he saw Were-san. The cause of all the pain he had gone through since the first night he got beaten.

Not caring about the pain in his leg, he ran towards Were-san, getting ready to make him pay for all the pain. The beatings, the hurtful words, everything.

He didn't expect someone to step in front of him. Between him and his target.

Still, he wouldn't let that stop him. He would just slash and bite through whoever was blocking his way first. That's what he did, only he only got to bite him once. Before seeing that he was looking into eyes that were the same color red like his.

His past self's eyes…but, what was his past self doing protecting Were-san? Unless…

He looked at 'Were-san', but when he saw the green eyes, he knew it was really Papa. He especially knew it was Papa when the sun rose, and Papa changed back into his day form.

What had he done? Letting go of his past self's arm, he started backing away, only to yelp when he moved his wounded leg. He had forgotten about the wound.

"_Hey kid, why don't I take a look at that?"_

He shook his head, and tried to back away again.

"I don't understand what's wrong with him. He was doing fine until I mentioned us having to take the bullet- oh, now I get it."

"_Why the hell did you mention that to him? You should've known he would react that way, especially considering which memories he received."_

"How was I supposed to know?"

"_Look, this isn't the time for us to argue. The longer we wait, the more damage the embedded bullet will cause."_

He kept looking between his past self and Papa. He didn't know what was going to happen to him.

He looked down as his paws, and when he blinked once, he saw that they were covered in blood again, but, when he blinked again, the blood was gone. What happened? Where-?

He quickly looked up when he heard someone walk to him, and when his past self reached to pick him up, he turned around and ran. He did make sure to not use his wounded leg, but he forgot about the river, so he fell in.

"Shadow!"

He struggled to keep his head above the water, but it was hard. It was cold, and even with it being day now, it was kinda dark when his head was under the water.

The flow of the water was rough, so fighting against it was also hard. He was getting tired…and he kept breathing in the water, so when he got his head up out of the water, he would be coughing.

Then he hit the rock.

Hitting the rock did hurt, but it stopped him from going further. And it gave him something to hold on.

He shivered. The water was really cold. And it wasn't helping his leg, either.

"Shadow!"

He looked up to see that his past self and Papa were running along the river.

"_Kid, grab the roots of that tree! It's not far from you! We'll pull you up from there!"_

He looked where his past self was pointing to, and saw the tree. He grabbed for it, but then his other paw slipped off the rock.

"No!"

Right after he slipped from the rock, he heard a splash and felt someone grab one of his wrists. He opened his eyes – he closed them when his head went under – and saw that it was Papa.

"I gotcha, pup. Hold on, alright? Don't let go."

"_Sonic, why on earth would he let go?"_

He wondered the same thing as his past self pulled him and Papa out of the river. He winced as his leg was dragged along the roots, but then he felt Papa pick him up, so his leg didn't hurt as much.

He shivered again, being cold and wet from the river.

"Out of one ordeal, and into another, huh?"

"_At least things will be interesting."_

"And by interesting, you mean more and more life-threatening, don't you?"

"_Yeah, pretty much._"

"You and your sadism…"

"_I'm not _that_ much of a sadist, otherwise I wouldn't help the kid whenever Werehog decides to pummel him."_

He flinched, but then he started growling again when he heard Were-san's name.

"Here we go again…stop growling, pup, before I drop you back into the river."

Did he want to stop growling? No. Did he want to go in the cold river again? No. He stopped growling.

"_And you say _I'm_ the sadist."_

"You are a sadist; I just think that's kinda rubbing off on me. Oi, nii-san? How'd you know where we were, anyway?"

"_I tracked you both when I felt the kid's Chaos Energy. It wasn't hard."_

For some reason, he couldn't help thinking about what Were-san wanted him to say. He tried to think of what he was supposed to call Were-san now, but he couldn't think of anything.

He then felt a spike of anger. He flinched, until he realized it was from his past self. Papa, too, but he sorta knew it wasn't aimed at him.

"_That no good bastard. Trying to control you further…he still thinks that he can force you to respect him? Respect has to be earned, not gained, especially for a scumbag like him…Tch, just making you use '-sama' won't work."_

"He _what?!"_ Looking at Papa, he saw that he was angry, but luckily not enough to make his eyes change color even a little.

To be honest, he had no idea where he had gotten the small knowledge of Japanese titles from but he figured it was something that had transferred from his past self…as well as how he knew that the titles were Japanese in the first place…or even the _word_ 'Japanese'.

Ugh, his head was starting to hurt.

"_You're right about that part, kid. That information did transfer from me to you. I'm not entirely sure how, but why worry about it?"_

…He was really starting to hate how his thoughts could be so easily read like that.

It was even worse when his past self started to laugh. _"Kid, you really are starting to be like Sonic. He didn't like that either when we used the mind link for the first time in years. Don't worry; you'll get the hang of that as you get older as long as either me or Sonic help you."_

"You got that right."

That made him feel even better, knowing that someone would help him.

His leg was starting to hurt again. It was hard not to whimper or wince. Stupid humans… "Papa?"

"Yeah, pup? Oh, right! We have to do something about that leg of yours."

"_I have an idea. I can use _my _Chaos Energy to push the bullet out halfway, then I can just pull it out. That way, there won't be as much pain to endure."_

"Will it work?"

"_Do you doubt my power?"_

"…A little, but it's the only idea we have. What do you think, pup?"

He didn't want to go through any pain at all, but he did want the bullet out of his leg. Still, like Papa said, it was the only plan. "Okay."

"That was easier than I expected, but we have a plan, so let's get to it. You did say that the longer we wait, the more damage will appear, right, nii-san?"

"_I did, and I'm surprised you actually remembered."_

"I pay attention sometimes. Now, how long will it take you to do this?"

"_If the kid manages to stay still while I'm getting the bullet out? No more than 15 minutes."_

No going back now…he wondered just how much it would hurt when the bullet was being pulled out. Now he felt like running away.

"_Kid, trust me, I've done this a few times. Mostly on myself, but I _have_ removed embedded bullets before."_

His past self reached for him again, and he shut his eyes, feeling his Chaos Energy stirring.

"Pup, it's okay. Nii-san said it wouldn't hurt much, and he doesn't lie about these kinds of things. He lies about other things, but with stuff like this, he's usually honest."

He whimpered when his past self grabbed his leg. It wasn't a hard grip, but it still hurt.

"_Damn, the bullet's already caused some damage. It's lodged in both the tibia and the fibula, and it's actually fractured both of them, that's why he's feeling so much pain."_

"How'd you find that out?"

"_I can tell how badly a bone's been broken just by feeling around the area."_

"And you didn't say this before, because…?"

"_Now's not the time, Sonic, let me focus here."_

It was weird. He could feel the bullet being pushed out, but he couldn't feel any pain. He knew, though, that the pain would come soon. He tensed and whimpered when he felt the Chaos Energy stop, 'cause he knew that now the pain would start.

Papa just held him close. "Shh, pup, it's almost over."

"_Alright, kid, I'm going to pull this out with, hopefully, one swift tug."_

He yelped loudly when the bullet was pulled out of his leg, and he struggled against Papa's hold.

"Calm down, Shadow. The bullet's out now, see?"

Opening his eyes, he looked at his past self, who was holding the bullet. He couldn't tell exactly what his past self was thinking, but he knew he was angry.

"_Those lousy humans…always ready to destroy what they don't understand, or what they fear and hate."_

"Nii-san, I know you still hate them, but try not to drag _my_ pup into your little quest for revenge, alright?"

"_I won't, but I think he might head down that path himself, considering the memories he took from me."_

"What do you mean, 'took'? You don't have those memories anymore?"

"_It's a little hard to describe, but think of it as knowing what happened by someone telling you, instead of witnessing it yourself. I still have the knowledge of what happened, but I don't have the actual memories anymore."_

He…he _took_ the memories from his past self? How?

"Cant you just take them back?"

"_I don't even know how the kid managed to do it; how am I supposed to take them back?"_

"Pup, did you use the link to take the memories?"

He started getting nervous, and looked at the ground. "I, um…I dunno. I-I wanted t-to know why the humans didn't l-like me…"

"Pup, I already said that I don't blame you for being curious. I guess that's something else you and nii-san have in common. You both just want the sources of your pain to go away."

"_How'd you get so insightful?"_

"I just hang around you too much."

He laughed, but winced and had to stop when the movement made his leg hurt again.

"Nii-san, aren't you going to heal the wound now that the bullet's been removed?"

"_I should, but he did react in the way I did with the humans, and we never did anything for _my _wounds, did we?"_

"That was because you're too full of yourself to accept help from anybody. Plus, your wounds may heal fast, but I don't think pup's wounds heal at the same pace yours do."

"_Hmph."_

Why didn't his past self want to help? He _had_…killed a lot of humans…so did he deserve the pain in his leg?

"Pup…"

He looked at his paws, and- what? Why were they covered in blood again? He blinked, and the blood was gone again. Why did that keep happening?

Why wouldn't it leave him alone?

"Shadow? What's wrong, pup?"

He was afraid. Why did he keep seeing the blood?

He didn't expect Papa shaking his shoulder abit, to get him to say something, and he jumped, closing his eyes, and almost falling out of Papa's arms.

"Whoops, sorry pup. I didn't know you were lost in thought."

Wait a minute. Why did Papa's voice sound like it was coming from far away? He opened his eyes, only to wish he hadn't.

_Everything_ was covered in blood. Even the river was flowing blood. None of the trees or bushes had leaves. Everything was just…_dead._

Then he saw them. Both his past self, and Papa. Ripped to shreds.

He could feel something warm and sticky on his paws. He didn't have to look to know it was blood, but it still scared him even more.

He was the one who killed them. Just like with the humans.

It was his fault. He was the one to blame.

He felt like he couldn't breathe. He barely felt the tears falling, or himself shaking.

Then, just as fast as it changed, everything went back to normal.

He looked around like crazy, still thinking that they were dead. Then he realized that he was still being held by Papa.

They weren't dead. They were still alive. Still, he wouldn't forget that image…still shaking and crying, he buried himself into Papa's fur as much as he could, whimpering. What was happening to him?

"Shadow…please, tell me what's wrong. I can't help if I don't know what the problem is."

"_Post Traumatic-Stress Disorder…"_

"Huh? You know what's going on, nii-san?"

_It's more of a guess, but I think the stress of both the memories he got from me, and him realizing what he did in Westopolis is starting to get to him, causing him to hallucinate and see blood since he's still too young for his mind to handle something like that. I only got a glimpse of what he saw, and I can't blame him for freaking out."_

Papa's arms tightened around him. "Why? What did he see?"

"_I said it was only a glimpse, but he saw…everything dead and covered in blood, and we were ripped to shreds, with him being the one responsible."_

"…What should we do about it?"

"_While a part of me wants you to just shut up and figure it out for yourself, I'm not _that_ insensitive…anymore. Hm…if he can get the memories from me, maybe I can lock them away in a deep part of his mind. The only problem is, even if it is successful, it could easily lock away every single memory he has as well. Or, it could permanently alter his whole mindset and personality. There are a lot of risks involved in this sort of thing."_

"I know that, nii-san, but you're not the one raising a currently scared-to-death little werepup."

That got his attention. 'Little'? He looked up. "M'not little, Papa."

Papa looked down at him and smiled. "You're not? Then how come I'm still able to carry you around, pup? If you weren't so little, I wouldn't be able to carry you."

"_Congratulations, Sonic, you finally used logic, even if it was against a child."_

"Thanks…I think"

He laughed, sticking his tongue out at Papa.

"_Looks like we managed to get some of his spirit back. Good thing, too."_

"Yeah, but I am still considering you locking the memories away."

What did that mean? He hadn't been paying a lot of attention to them when they were talking, so he didn't understand.

"_You're not going to give up on that, are you?"_

"No. Any chance to help him, any opportunity there is, I'll take it. I know the possible consequences, but if it means taking away that image, the fear, then I'm willing to do anything."

"_You may be considering it, but what about the kid? Does he want it to happen?"_

"Want what?" He really didn't know what they were talking about, so he figured he'd ask.

"Oh, nii-san says that he could take away the memories you got from him, and that image you saw, but there are some risks to it."

He shivered when he remembered that image, and he saw it again for a second, but he just shook his head to get rid of it.

What was he going to do? He wanted it to go away, but did he want to take the risks?

"I won't pressure you, pup. It's your decision, and whatever you choose, I'll support it."

He thought he heard his past self mutter something, but he was too busy thinking to pay attention.

Papa, on the other hand… "Must you be so critical? I know what I'm doing! Stop thinking that this will mess up somehow!"

He flinched a little, but he knew that Papa's anger wasn't aimed at him, so he relaxed.

"_You're not the only one concerned for him, Sonic! We may be separate beings now, me and him, but he's still technically like the innocent part of _my_ soul. Innocence may not last forever, but, like you, I want to preserve that innocence for as long as possible."_

"So you're saying that you will lock away the memories and that image?"

He looked at his past self, and saw that he looked like he realized something. _"Well, well, well, it's a new record. This is the second time you've won an argument against me."_

"So you'll do it?"

"_I didn't say that."_

"No, but you meant it."

"_You're not going to stop pestering me until I actually do it, will you?"_

"You've said yourself that I'm stubborn."

"_Me and the rest of the world…but I guess since I don't have much of a choice, I might as well."_

Now what was he going to do? They agreed to take the memories away, but it was up to him to decide if they should do it or not. Should he take the risks, say yes and have the memories taken away, never to worry about them again? Or say no and have to see that image, plus the memories, whenever they felt like popping up?

What should he do?

"You don't have to decide now, pup, and like I said, no matter what you decide, I'll support it."

Well, that was good, not having to worry about- ooh, a butterfly.

He tried to catch it, but he really couldn't try much, 'cause he was still being held by Papa, and 'cause they hadn't done anything to heal his leg besides take the bullet out.

He didn't care, though. He'd still catch the butterfly.

It was easy to reach for it when it was close, but then it started getting farther and farther away.

"Aw, bad luck, pup. You'll get it next time."

The thing is, he didn't want a next time. He wanted to catch it _now!_

He felt his Chaos Energy flow through him again, this time in his legs, and he jumped up out of Papa's arms, towards the butterfly.

"_Holy shi-"_

"Oi!"

He caught the butterfly, then looked down at them from the tree he landed on. He looked back up, and saw that he was nearly at the top of the tree. Wait, how did he…? He then noticed that his leg didn't hurt anymore. Did his Chaos Energy do something? Maybe it did.

He let the butterfly go, and watched it fly around before realizing that he had a new problem.

How was he gonna get down?

Suddenly – _CRACK!_ - the branch he was sitting on broke, and he fell to the ground.

The last thing he felt was something hard hitting his head before everything went black again…

_T.B.C._

Yes, another cliffy, but I couldn't think of another place to end it.

You guys happy I made up for the wait by making this chapter the longest I've written for any of my stories? It's 17 pages long on MS Word.

Who else had the theme from SAW playing in their head in the two instances when werepup went berserk? It fits. XD

Maybe I should give you guys a little bit of a backstory on Sonic and Shadow in this AU, to explain some things. **Sonic and Shadow were both created on ARK, with Sonic being Shadow's clone. Of course, they didn't like referring to each other as original and clone, so they called themselves brothers. Professor Gerald decided to tweak Sonic's DNA to turn him into a Werehog, in order to make a companion for Maria whenever Shadow was being tested on. After the ARK raid, they both made it to Earth and were adopted by a hedgehog couple (Sonic and Shadow were still children). Tragically, a fire broke out and Sonic and Shadow's parents were both killed. Sonic had gotten struck in the head with a piece of flaming wood, and was knocked unconscious, so Shadow had to get him out before the house collapsed. That same night, Sonic regained consciousness, but couldn't remember Shadow or the ARK, and wandered off while Shadow was asleep. Soon after, Shadow was found and captured by GUN, and was tortured by the soldiers for a few years before he was cryogenically frozen, while Sonic lived as he pleased, eventually meeting the friends he has today. After everything that happened (in the games), they decided to make up for lost time by traveling around together; going through the ups and downs of life. One night, Sonic managed to reawaken his Werehog form. Sonic couldn't control the shifts very well, so he went off on his own until he could. Shadow, in Sonic's stead, did try to help the humans as much as he can, but then he was attacked and tortured by a group of humans, After what had happened in the time he was with GUN, the attack was the last straw for Shadow, so every night he would kill off a certain amount of humans in revenge. Once Sonic returned, Shadow couldn't keep that a secret for very long. Sonic was pissed off, both at Shadow and the humans, but more at the humans for attacking his brother, so he started helping Shadow deplete the human population. They both returned to ARK sometime after this, where Sonic managed to break the large window in the observation room. Despite Shadow's attempts to help, Sonic fell to Earth much in the same was Shadow had done. The impact left Sonic amnesic (again) and unconscious; he was found by GUN, and trained to fight for them. Shadow, wanting to finally get his revenge on GUN, decided to pay them a "visit" and discovered Sonic alive. Thoroughly ticked off, he started killing off the soldiers, while at the same time making Sonic regain his memories in the few minutes he (Shadow) was there. GUN then revealed a laser that would suck up Sonic's Dark Gaia energy (how he still had it was never discussed) but Shadow jumped between the machine and Sonic after it activated, making some of Sonic's Gaia energy transfer into Shadow, turning him into a Werehog too. It took a while for them both to re-adjust, but they managed to. During one of the riots that Shadow and Sonic were doing, one of the humans shot at Shadow, wanting to kill him. Sonic had seen it, and took the bullet for Shadow, getting hit directly in the heart. With the use of Shadow's Chaos Energy, and a shooting star, Sonic was brought back from the brink of death. A few days afterwards, Shadow barged into Tails' workshop for no apparent reason when a laser that Tails was working on went off unexpectedly, and hit Shadow, resulting in the de-aging. Sonic, being the helpful hedgie that he is, took it upon himself to raise the little "reincarnation". A few days later, Sonic decided to take his young ward on a trip around the world, but a night or two into the trip, Werehog decides to make his presence known, so Sonic tried to keep Shadow safe by keeping him away. Shadow, getting curious about what was happening, follows anyway. He was discovered by Werehog, and didn't want to believe that Werehog was a part of Sonic so he kept denying it until he eventually received the first of the many beatings he'd receive.**

Holy crap that was kinda long, but that, dear readers, is the background info me and HyperShanic01 came up with, though I tweaked it a bit, plus a somewhat extended summary of the story. About the whole 50 years thing, we decided that Professor Gerald managed to transport the ARK 50 years into the future, and the year they ended up in was really about 10 years before the main game series started (NOT the classic games, more like before the events in SA1). Also Sonic and Shadow did age while on the ARK and after the ARK Raid, but the aging stopped after a certain amount of time, hence the immortality.

I just hope that explanation wasn't too long. I've also heard of some stories getting deleted because the author's notes were too long. If that happens to this story, I don't know what I'd do.

Before I go, yes, I know it's a bad thing to remove a bullet without a professional's help, but think about it. If you used to go from city to city killing countless people in revenge for what they did to you, would you expect to be helped by the very same people (or species in this case)?

Anyways, like always, leave a comment/review!

ShidesuHejjihoggu


	14. Chapter 14

Oh gosh, I'm really late with this, aren't I? Sorry, guys. Real life, summer school, my second year of college starting, and a bunch of other crap, is the reason for that. At least I was finally able to write this, though.

On a side note, this will be the _very last chapter for this story_. What happens after this in little WereShadow's life, you'll have to find out in the sequel. You'll see my reasons for this at the end of the chapter.

As always, thanks for the reviews.

Oh, before I forget, whenever needed, I will add more details to Sonic's and the Older Shadow's past together. The only reason why I didn't to that before is because I didn't want to make the explanation too long.

Disclaimer: Characters belong to SEGA/Sonic Team. I'm just a writer with no life who borrows them.

Only Warning I can think of: Character Death, but don't worry, it's no one too important.

Note: This might be a long chapter because I'm adding some things that will be important for the sequel I have planned.

Chapter 14

Darkness. It was all he could see. Was he…asleep? Probably. When did he fall asleep, though? Last thing he remembered was…was…Wait…why couldn't he remember anything? He _had_ to remember something. He just had to!

Not remembering…it was scary.

He didn't know how long he was like this, but what he did know was that his head hurt _a lot._ He whimpered a bit as he opened his eyes.

"Shadow! You're awake!"

Not knowing that was gonna happen, or who said that, he jumped up. Though, it made his head hurt more and made him feel really dizzy.

Before he could fall, though, he felt someone catch him. "Whoops, I didn't mean to startle you, pup."

Pup…? Wait, now he remembered everything. "P-Papa?"

"_Good thing that blow to the head didn't give him amnesia. Otherwise it would have been, what, the fourth time it's happened with us, Sonic?"_

"I don't know, probably. There's nothing else wrong, though, right?"

"_Other than a bad concussion from bashing his head on that branch? No, there's nothing else wrong."_

"That's good; I was worried it would be more serious."

One of his ears twitched when he heard what his past self said, and even though it made the pain and dizziness worse, he tilted his head. What was a…a coconshion? Cuncosion? …Whatever it was, he wanted to know about it.

He was already starting to feel better, till he heard what Papa said.

Then he also felt guilty, cause he made Papa worry. He didn't mean to do that, he just wanted to catch the butterfly… "S-Sorry, Papa."

"For what? It's not like you wanted to fall out of a tree, pup. Even if did nearly make my heart stop."

He wasn't sure why…but when he heard that, it scared him and suddenly he felt like he couldn't breathe! He tried and tried, but he just…couldn't…breathe!

"_Damn it, Sonic, you triggered a panic attack!"_

"I didn't think he'd take it literally. Or that he could have panic attacks."

"…_Whatever. Just get him to calm down before things get worse."_

Everything was going dark, and he was getting really dizzy now. His chest was hurting too. What was going on? Why was this happening?

Then he felt someone pick him up and hold him. "Pup, you gotta calm down and relax, alright? Try to concentrate on…uh…"

"_Taking deep breaths?"_

"Yeah, that. Try to take deep breaths, pup."

He tried very hard to do that, but his chest was hurting too much; it was too hard to breathe like Papa wanted him to.

"Dang it, this isn't working…nii-san what else can we do?"

"_Well, since calming him down isn't working, all we can do it wait for him to pass out from lack of oxygen."_

"I'm serious."

"_So am I."_

Things were going fuzzy, but he thought he heard Papa say something that he'd probably get in trouble if he said it too.

Even though he was still scared and not breathing right, he leaned against Papa. He always felt better when he did that, though he didn't really know why.

"Finally calming down, pup?"

He was, a little, and he didn't want to lie, so he nodded.

"_Sonic, I could have told you he was calming down. Not by much, but it's an improvement."_

"Right. Plus every bit counts, so maybe he'll calm down fully in a few minutes."

"_It's a possibility, as long as he keeps trying to regulate his breathing."_

"You hear that, pup? Just calm down and take deep breaths."

He knew what he had to do, so why did Papa tell him again? Maybe…maybe Papa thought he hadn't been paying attention? Was that why he said it again? And was really thinking of a way to-

No! Don't think about that! 'Sides, Papa said that…he wouldn't…but for how long? How long would it be till Papa got annoyed and started punishing him the way…Werehog did?

"Pup, you're trembling. What's wrong?"

He couldn't help flinching, cause he felt Papa grab his shoulder. Hang on; he wasn't having trouble breathing anymore. Weird…but he did notice that Papa was right, and that he was trembling. "S-S-Sorry. Um, n-n-nothing's wr-wrong…"

"_Tch, yeah, and Sonic's a good dancer."_

"Oi, I _am_ a good dancer."

"_If that's true, then there's nothing wrong with the kid, which is obviously a lie."_

He flinched again. He knew they'd be able to tell when he was lying; he just didn't want Papa to worry…

Only, now that they knew…would…would he be punished? He knew he deserved it, just like he deserved all the other punishments…

…Right?

He didn't know what to believe anymore…

Wait, he could hear them talking. What were they saying?

"…think it'll be best for him."

"_Maybe, but we better make sure that they won't freak out like every other place we've gone to."_

"Considering what we did, it's no surprise that they're like that."

"_Hm, good point."_

What were they talking about? He wasn't sure, but he was getting a really bad feeling. He whimpered, shivering.

"…_Kid, how much did you hear?"_

"Um…j-just the l-last part…Wh-What's g-going on?" He really hoped that as soon as he knew what was going on, the bad feeling would go away.

"We're just talking about maybe moving to a small city. Hopefully one that doesn't know about what we've done, or holds grudges."

Hearing that didn't help. It just made the bad feeling worse.

"_The odds of that are pretty slim, though."_

"Well, we won't know until we look."

"Why?"

"Well, we just thought that you could use some company to be around besides us. And there's also the fact that now you'll also have somewhere to be whenever I can't keep him back."

Tilting his head, he wondered why he would wanna be around someone other than Papa and his past self.

Then he thought about the last part of what Papa said. He knew Papa didn't like Werehog being in control, but…he knew that even if he were away somewhere, because Papa had a hard time keeping Werehog in his mind, Werehog would find him anyway and find some reason to punish him.

Why bother trying to hide?

Still…maybe living somewhere else would be fun.

"Well, pup? What's it gonna be? Are we moving into a small city, or staying here in the forest?"

Realizing that they wanted an answer, he looked up, and saw that they were looking at him.

"I think…um, m-maybe we could tr-try moving?"

He smiled a little when he saw Papa grin. "Alright, now that we got that settled…how exactly are we going to find a good town to live in before nightfall?"

"_About that…I think you two should go find a place first, and then let me know where it is so I can join you at a later time."_

He tilted his head, wondering why his past self wasn't going with them.

"How come, nii-san?"

"_Just think of what the humans might think if we _all_ appeared together looking for a place to live. Me, you, and a kid who looks like me but has your Werehog qualities."_

"What do you- Oh. _Oh_. Right. Don't want em thinking that."

"_Exactly."_

Now he was really confused. What were they talking about? "Um…"

"…Er, don't worry about it, pup. You're too young to understand, anyway."

He kinda wondered if that was true, but he didn't want to say anything else. He also wondered when they were gonna go find a city to live in.

His past self seemed to be thinking the same thing. _"Sonic, didn't you say that you wanted to find the right city before nightfall?"_

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I guess I'd better get scouting, then. I'll be back in a bit."

He whined when Papa got up. He didn't want Papa to leave…not without him, anyway.

"Don't worry, pup. I won't be gone long."

"Wanna go with you, Papa…"

He couldn't help flinching a little when Papa turned to look at him. "I know you do, pup, it's just that if I take you with me, and the people there aren't so nice, then not only would I have to worry about myself, but I'd fear for your safety as well. At least with you staying here, I know you're safe."

He wasn't sure why, but he was starting to feel a little angry. Even though Papa wanted to keep him safe, it didn't mean he couldn't go anyway. "Don't care. I wanna go!"

He saw that Papa was getting a little annoyed, but he didn't care. He didn't care if he was safe or not; he wanted to go with Papa.

"Listen, Shadow…"

But he couldn't listen. The bad feeling came back, only stronger, because he thought of something.

What if Papa…was only saying that he would be back…when really…he wouldn't be coming back?

What if Papa was about to abandon him?

Thinking it made him scared, sad…and angrier than he had been a while ago.

He started to see red, and without thinking, lunged at Papa. But before he could get too close, he was grabbed by his scruff. It was a very tight grip too, enough to make him whimper while he struggled.

"_Go, Sonic. I'll take care of this."_

He struggled more when he heard that. Then he saw Papa leaving before hearing a loud _WHOOSH!_ So he started screaming as loud as he could. "NO! NO, NO, NO, N-!"

Only to feel a hard punch to the back of his head, and the pain made him yelp and stop struggling.

Then he remembered that he was being held from his scruff by his past self.

"_Kid, you're really lucky that you mean so much to Sonic. You must really have a death wish…If you had managed to land a blow on Sonic, you'd be in for a hell of night later. Did you forget that Werehog can see what Sonic sees?"_

He flinched a little. He _had_ forgotten that. But there was a part of him that…just didn't care what Werehog would do to him. He just wanted Papa to come back, cause even if Werehog were to beat him like he always did, it was still better than being alone.

He _hated_ being alone. Just like he hated the dark. It made him think of when Werehog had stuck him in that hole…He shivered. That wasn't going to happen again, was it?

"_Kid, I'm starting to think that you're more of a pessimist than I am."_

He blinked and turned his head to look at his past self. "What's a pessimist?"

"_A negative thinker; someone who expects the worst to happen."_

"…Oh."

He then realized that he wasn't being held by his scruff as hard. Actually, he wasn't being held at all; he was sitting on his past self's head. When did that happen?

"_I just figured you'd like the view, kid. It's also safer than being in a tree."_

Well, he did like the view. It even gave him an idea. He looked at the wings on his past self's back, wanting to know if they worked, and reached out to poke one.

"_Don't even think about it, kid."_

Surprised, he flinched and managed to lose his balance.

"_Oh fu-"_

He yelped when he hit the ground, his arm twisting under him, but not enough to break it. That was good. It still hurt though.

"_You alright?"_

Looking up, he saw that his past self was looking at him, worried.

He was about to say something, when he heard a whooshing sound. Was it Papa? Not caring about his hurt arm, he got up, and was about to run outside when he remembered that Papa had been annoyed at him for trying to get him to stay. Was Papa still mad?

He hoped not, but as Papa got closer, he could see a grin. So Papa wasn't mad anymore? He had to be sure…so, he went outside, limping.

Course, that's what made Papa stop running; him seeing the limp. He cringed when he saw Papa getting mad, but he was also confused when he saw the look aimed at his past self. "What. Did. You. Do?"

"_I'm not the one responsible for that, Sonic. He simply fell."_

"That's a load of bull! I thought I could trust you with him!"

"_Believe me, Sonic; I'm not the one who sprained his arm. When have I ever lied? …Don't answer that. The point is, I'm telling the truth."_

"Prove it."

He felt like he needed to say something, but he wasn't sure if he would make things better or worse…but he had to try. "…Papa…he's not lying…He didn't hurt me."

His ears folded back when Papa looked at him, though he didn't know why. He just hoped Papa would believe him.

"…Alright, fine, I believe you."

"_Now that that's settled, did you manage to find a place?"_

"Yep. Turns out that most of the citizens are refugees who were looking for a place to be safe from either their past or if they had their life threatened by someone. One thing that worries me a little is that some of the others are former criminals…but they say they've changed, so who am I to judge?"

"_You managed to know all this in a few minutes?"_

"Did you forget who I am?"

"_I don't think I'll be able to forget, unless I end up suffering from amnesia again."_

"Yeah…well anyway, I think we should get going. The sooner the better."

"_I'll meet you there later. I'm going to do a few things."_

"Suit yourself."

He watched as his past self left using Chaos Control. He wondered what he was gonna do…

He was also about to ask how he was gonna keep up with Papa, until he was picked up and placed on Papa's shoulder. To make sure he wouldn't fall off, he wrapped his arms, even his hurting one, around Papa's neck, though he also made sure he wouldn't choke Papa.

"Don't let go, pup."

"I won't."

He wasn't sure how, but he didn't yelp when Papa suddenly started running _really_ fast, but when he heard a loud _BOOM, _he almost let go. Thankfully he didn't.

Only a few seconds passed before Papa stopped running.

He blinked a few times before realizing where they were. It wasn't as big as a city, but there were still a lot of people. Suddenly he felt scared. What if no one liked him?

He then noticed that nearby people, the younger ones, anyway, had seen him, so he tried to hide.

"Shads-"

He didn't realize that a few of the kids had come up to them until he heard someone say "Who's that?"

When no one else said anything, he realized that everyone was waiting for _him_ to say something. He would have, but he was scared.

He glanced around at everyone, but stopped when he saw a young girl hedgehog. She was a kind of…gold color, and her eyes were the same blue as the sky.

She seemed familiar for some reason.

Tilting his head, he tried to figure out why she was familiar…when an image of a human entered his head. The human looked almost exactly like the hedgehog girl.

Then…

He remembered the human's name.

_Maria…_

He just wondered if the girl would have the same name.

Slowly, he let go of Papa and walked over to the girl, who was looking at him, probably curious.

"…M-Maria?"

She, like the others, looked surprised. "How'd you know my name?"

"I, um…uh…" How was he supposed to answer that?

He looked over at Papa, wondering if he would help, but before Papa could say anything, one of the other kids asked "What are you, anyway? Some kinda runty mutant?"

He tensed a little at the word 'runt', cause it made him think of Werehog, but then he got mad, so he growled, tackled the kid to the ground, and dug his claws into his shoulders. "_Don't_ call me that."

He kinda thought the other kids would run away from the growling, but instead some of them looked nervous, even…the girl, Maria, she looked…a little afraid.

Then again, the kid under him looked like he was about to faint.

Seeing this made him feel…odd. He felt…almost happy knowing he could make someone fear him, but…

He realized that it also made him just like Werehog. To make someone afraid of him…just because they made him mad…

Shivering, he quickly got off and didn't look at anyone. "S-Sorry…"

Then he heard Papa sigh. "Shadow…"

He wasn't sure why, but when the other kids heard his name, the ones who hadn't looked nervous got really excited.

They were asking too many questions, and they were talking too loud for him to actually hear what they were saying.

So, he panicked and ran back over to Papa and hid behind him.

Course, it made a few of the others laugh, but he didn't care.

"Oi, knock it off. He's not used to being around so many people. It's just been the two of us all this time, for as long as he can remember."

His ears twitched a little as everyone went silent.

Peeking out from behind Papa, he looked around at everyone, and saw that they were…sad? No, it seemed a little different. He couldn't figure out what it was, though.

Oh well. He'd probably find out later…

_BOOM!_

…Or not…

He turned his head towards the sound, and saw that there was smoke coming from somewhere in the forest.

At least Papa seemed to know what happened. "Of all the times to…Guys, go show Shadow around. I'll be back."

His ears folded back. He didn't want Papa to leave again. But, he knew he couldn't get Papa to stay here, so he moved out of Papa's way.

A second later, Papa ran off and was gone.

And now he was with a bunch of people he didn't know.

He didn't know what they would do.

And no one could help him.

He started to panic again. It hurt to breathe, which was hard to do now, and he was shaking really bad.

It was a…a panic attack. Even though he wanted it stop he also wondered why it was happening in the first place.

That's when everyone rushed forward, which only made him panic more.

He flinched and used his Chaos Energy to make the shield so that they couldn't get to him.

But, it didn't keep them all away.

Only Maria was able to get through the shield, and, for some reason, just her doing that made him calm down a little.

He was still worried cause he didn't know what she would do, but at the same time, he just knew that she wouldn't hurt him.

Slowly, she reached towards him, and he flinched abit.

"Don't be afraid. We won't hurt you."

It sounded like she meant it, but…he wasn't really sure. "P-Promise?"

Seeing her smile and nod was enough to calm him down a little.

Although, he knew _she_ wouldn't hurt him, but what about the others? He wasn't gonna let it down until he knew they wouldn't hurt him either.

Almost as if knowing, everyone else backed away, so he slowly relaxed and made the shield go away.

Only to flinch again and back away when he felt someone pat his head. He forgot about Maria being so close.

His fear seemed to worry her. "Are you okay?"

Calming down a little, he nodded. "I-I'm fine. I j-just, um…didn't w-want to get h-hurt…"

_That _sure shocked everyone. For a second he wondered what else would shock them. Besides learning about Werehog…

No; mustn't think about him yet…not till he come out tonight…_If_ he came out tonight…

Although he tried to stop thinking about Werehog, he noticed a hand reaching for him, and, thinking he was about to get slapped, he tensed, whimpering as a few memories of Werehog, of his 'punishments', started to fill his mind.

'_Learn your place, runt!'_

When he first heard that, he had tried to do as he'd been told, but he didn't know exactly what it meant. He still didn't fully understand it.

He shivered as he remembered something Werehog said the last time he was out.

'_There's only room for one Alpha! I'll make sure you learn that it's going to be me!'_

He knew he didn't really have a choice in _that_ lesson, but he just didn't _want_ Werehog to be Alpha. He just had the feeling that if Werehog became Alpha, he would do something bad to him, something worse than the beatings. And nothing would stop Werehog from doing it.

He shivered again, not wanting to know what would happen, if it ever did.

"Hey, Shadow?"

His ears twitched, and the memories went away for now, when one of the older males calling for him. "Y-Yeah?"

"You alright? You looked like you were about to get beaten or something."

He tensed, but not wanting anyone to know that he _was_ being beaten, even if only at night, he shook his head. "I'm f-fine."

"You don't have to lie. I can tell you've been beaten at least once. I've been there too, so have a few of us. That's why we came here, to get away from it. Right guys?"

Looking around, he saw at least…five others nod.

Still, what he was going through was different. "Y-You don't understand…"

"We won't understand until you tell us everything."

He shook his head again. "Can't…"

Before anyone else could say something, he ran off, not towards the forest, but just _somewhere_ away from them.

He couldn't tell them. Why? He didn't know.

Maybe…

Maybe Werehog was right about him being weak. He couldn't even talk to people without feeling nervous.

It wasn't fair…though…was anything in his life fair?

Sure, he had Papa…and his past self…but they couldn't really protect him from Were-

_CLANG!_

Ow…

Okay, now he was angry. He growled and slashed at the metal pole that was in front of him. "Dammit!"

"Shadow!"

He tensed, and in a second, his anger was gone, his ears folded back. "P-Papa?" Uh-oh…

Glancing behind him, he saw Papa standing a few feet away with his arms crossed, looking…angry? Sad? It was hard to tell, but it made him feel bad.

"Shadow, get over here."

He hesitated as Werehog's words ran through his head again.

'_There's only room for one Alpha! I'll make sure you learn that it's going to be me!'_

He shivered abit, but somehow he knew that even if he did do as Papa said, Werehog would probably punish him later anyway.

So, he quickly walked over to Papa, and as he did so, he remembered that he had banged the side of his muzzle, which was starting to hurt, so he knew there was a bruise. He could also taste blood, so he stopped to spit it out onto the ground.

He didn't expect a fang to come out too.

"Pup?"

Flinching, he glanced at Papa again. "S-Sorry…"

"Hey…you alright? Pup, let me see how bad that bruise is."

"Papa, I'm fine…"

"_And I'm a ballet dancer. There, now we're both liars."_

Ears twitching at the sound of his past self's voice, he looked around for him.

"_Up here, kid."_

Turning around again, he looked up and saw that his past self was sitting on the pole. He also saw that his past self looked a little beat up…

Then he noticed…

The sun was setting.

"Oh no…"

Looking back at Papa, he saw that he was already starting to change.

Not knowing what else to do, and not caring if he would get punished for it, he ran and hid behind a bush he hadn't noticed before.

"Werehog…I won't let you…hurt him anymore…You won't w-_ AAAAAH!"_

He cringed when he heard Papa scream, and he could sense something bad was happening.

Just _what_ was happening, he wanted to know…a little; especially when he faintly heard people gasping.

"_To think things couldn't get any worse…"_

What did that mean? Maybe he should see what was happening…

Peeking out from behind the bushes, he saw…

No…

It couldn't be…

Werehog had his own body!

Oh, this was really bad…

He tensed when he heard Werehog laughing, and ducked back down behind the bushes.

"Finally, I'm free. I knew that pathetic host of mine wouldn't last much longer."

"_So sure of yourself, Werehog?"_

"Obviously. Now, get out of my sight. I have to deal with that little runt."

"_Like hell I'll let you do that!"_

He didn't want to see what was happening, but he could hear it.

There was the sound of sound of something flying through the air – his past self, probably – Werehog growling, the sound of claws ripping through flesh, someone screaming, and then…

Nothing.

It scared him, and he tried really hard not to panic.

"So much for the Ultimate Life-Form. Now that he's taken care of…Runt, get over here!"

He flinched, and, without meaning to, whimpered.

His ears twitched, and lowered as Werehog growled again. "Runt!"

He didn't think. He just ran.

Of course, then Werehog grabbed him and slammed him to the ground. "You stupid runt! When I tell you to do something, _you do it!_ Never run from _me!_"

Then came the slap, right where the bruise was. He could even feel a couple of Werehog's claws slash him. Somehow he managed not to yelp, but with the pain in his muzzle, he almost started crying. Luckily he didn't. "S-Sorry…"

Glancing up at Werehog, he shivered when he saw him _grinning_. Not good. "I have a deal for you, runt. Either you willingly come with me and we both leave this dump, or I'll slaughter everyone here and _make_ you come with me."

He knew Werehog would do it. He could smell his past self's blood on Werehog's claws… "Don't hurt them…"

Expecting another slap, he tensed abit and shut his eyes, but the after a few seconds, there was nothing.

"Accepting our deal? Good. Now, follow me, and don't stall."

As soon as Werehog let him go, and heard him walking away, he quickly got up and followed him.

Only to freeze when he saw Papa just lying there – though he could tell Papa wasn't dead – and…his past self…Werehog had slashed his head off.

So much blood…

It made him feel sick.

"Runt!"

Whoops. "Sorry."

He started to run to Werehog, but then he stopped again.

Glancing back at his past self's body, he quickly went over to it and took the Rings off his past self's wrists.

"I thought I said no stalling, runt!"

He flinched, and was about to apologize, only to yelp Werehog kicked him in the side.

Somehow he managed to hold onto the Rings. Barely.

"Why were you stalling, runt?"

"I-I was j-just…"

He didn't get to finish, Werehog kicked him again.

Knocked to the ground again, he lost his grip on the Rings.

"What the hell…?"

His ears went flat against his head. "Sorry…"

"What…were you going to do with those, runt?"

"I-I was, um…gonna k-keep one…and then g-give th-the other one t-to Papa…"

Punch to the muzzle. Maybe he shouldn't have answered…

"You couldn't have asked?"

"Y-You would've s-said no…"

"Just get on with it, already! We've wasted enough time here as it is!"

Flinching, he nodded and quickly got up ran over to where the Rings landed, grabbed them, and then ran over to Papa.

He managed to get one Ring onto Papa's right wrist, kinda wondering how Papa was still in his night form now that Werehog was gone, before putting the other Ring on his own left wrist.

After that, he fully realized that this was probably the last time he would ever Papa…

He felt a pain in his chest, and he was really close to crying.

Rather than let Werehog know he was about to cry, he let a few tears fall as he nuzzled Papa's arm, whispering "I'm sorry…" before turning away and walking back to Werehog.

"You done yet, runt?"

Trying to ignore the pain in his chest, and not wanting to say anything, he just nodded.

"Then let's go."

As he followed Werehog, he wondered exactly what Werehog would do to him, besides the beatings.

Whatever happened, he would just have to deal with it.

For everyone's safety.

_Fin._

Before you all bombard me with questions wondering why no one stepped in to prevent Werehog from getting to WereShadow, think about it. They had just witnessed him killing the Older Shadow, and they were still in shock from seeing him being separated from Sonic. Who would want to get in his way after seeing all that?

Also, the similarities between Maria Robotnik and the hedgehog Maria are purely coincidence.

The reason why I'm ending the story here is because WereShadow no longer has a choice in who he would listen to, not that Werehog gave him much of a choice, so it would make more sense to write a new story chronicling WereShadow's new life with Werehog, which I am already planning.

Unfortunately, I won't have much time to write once school starts in a few days. I will be in a one-year Veterinary Assistant program at a nearby college; so much of my free time will be spent studying. I will try to write as often as I can, so don't worry.

Well, readers, looks like this is goodbye for now.

Review!

ShidesuHejjihoggu


	15. Petition

The administrators of are as of June 4th going to be taking down Fics that have lemons or have extreme violence. Now I don't know about you but I think thats stupid. There are many wonderful fics that only have one or two lemons in them yet the plot itself is awesome! You can't just take down a 100,000+ word fic just because it has a lemon in a chapter that is only 1000 words long. Now I urge you all to read the petition below, sign it, and repost this to your own fics. Hopefully if we make enough noise everything will return to normal. Thank you.

Greetings to the fine folk that moderate our site.

Myself, along with many, have been writing and posting on your fine site for years now, some of the better examples of up and coming writers out there are now suddenly finding some of the stories we've come to love at risk of being removed without the chance to even rectify our errors.

For some, that means the permanent loss of a story. While I don't have anything that I believe violates your terms of use, there are those out there that are never able to recover a story in its original form, this is something I find to be almost worthy of a legal action, as while we cannot claim ownership of a character, the stories are OURS and simply destroying them is something that is inexcusable.

It's quite easy to simply add an MA rating, additional filters or even a simple requirement for a free membership to read the stories presented here, and would cut down on hateful anonymous reviews and posts at the same time, so I have to question as to why such a thing, in all this time, simply wasn't added.

If you're worried about falsification of a registration then have an appropriate disclaimer and then there can be no dispute, you took your steps and the PARENTS didn't monitor their children, if that is even your concern. If it is more of a personal view or desire then please at least let people know and give them a chance to remove a story that you and yours find offensive, most people on the site are actually rather cordial when it comes to such requests.

While I cannot say for sure if this letter will even reach those that may be willing to listen, of if it's more akin to a wide spectrum purge in preparation for something bigger, please understand that you are going to be looseing a LARGE number of your writers, and thus your income from a lack of readers if there is not some level of action taken to help with this situation.

For those that may agree with this, please feel free to sign on and send this to the support server, maybe we can get some movement on this.

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The Dark Graven

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ShidesuHejjihoggu


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